


The Medic's Trial

by emiliearenkid



Category: Manga - Fandom, Naruto, Naruto Shippuden, Naruto(Manga) - Fandom, anime - Fandom
Genre: A lot - Freeform, A whole lot of oc's, F/F, F/M, Like, M/M, Mostly before the events of Naruto, Naruto(Manga), Slow Build, Third Shinobi World War
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-04
Updated: 2018-01-19
Packaged: 2018-08-29 01:38:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 12
Words: 24,404
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8470618
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/emiliearenkid/pseuds/emiliearenkid
Summary: Komura was a young girl in Sunagakure, the Village of the Sand, during the Shinobi War. This is a story of trials and tribulations and some day, love.Akino was a young boy in Sunagakure, the Village of the Sand, during the Shinobi War. To protect his sister, he would do anything, even to the point of death. Minato was a sensei in Konohagakure, the Village of the Leaves, during the Shinobi War. Known as the Yellow Flash, he would come to know a broken family, and guide one to the light, and one to the dark. Naruto does not belong to me





	1. Sunagakure

"Komura!!" Her mother called up the stairs of what would be considered by many to be a hovel of sorts. 

 

"Coming mother!" She called down from her small room. It was shared with her brother, Akino, who got the majority of the room as he was elder than her. 

 

"Hurry! Today we're celebrating Akino's graduation!" Even with the beginnings of war going on it was something to celebrate. Overhearing on mother's conversations with other adults she was apprehensive about the ordeal but it wasn't her decision. The family wanted someone to become a strong Shinobi, so her mother would deliver. 

 

"Come on sis you don't want to keep the family waiting do ya?" He was already waiting too? Normally he's the one we're always waiting for. Guess that since it was a special occasion he was trying to act more mature. 

 

"Yeah yeah," Komura replied sarcastically, pulling the shirt over her head. She was told to look nice for the occasion so to complement the dark grey sweater she wore she threw on a stretchy red skirt that ended just above her knees and a pair of black sandals. 

 

Finally she waltzed down the stairs, walking out the door to meet her immediate family who were already waiting outside. Akino was dressed in the clothes he normally wore when he went to the academy, a black t-shirt and loose tan pants, completed with his ninja sandals and a creme colored scarf that he had wrapped around his head. 

 

Their mother always told them that they got their father's complexion and her kind demeanor as her hair and eyes were blue and pink respectively whereas the two children had red and blue. 

 

"Now come along!" Her mother hurried, dragging the two children from the house and out into the swelteringly sun. Even though they lived in a small village on the outskirts of Suna, the heat was excruciating and if it weren't for the special occasion they all would have been covered head to toe. 

 

Their small town looked desolate because of the war. As Komura and her family passed through the streets she looked around at the remaining houses which looked about to fall over and crumble into the dust and sand that seemed to cover everything. The few shinobi here were sent out to the war where many never returned, and the people who weren't barely had enough to live on as is. Homeless lined the streets and the rulers of the land did nothing to help. They were better off than some for her mother's far off lineage to some noble family, but it wasn't by much. 

 

At a joyous call from Akino's lips, Komura snapped her head up to stare at the small building that she would be entering in a few years to begin her training. The ceremony was being held in one of the larger classrooms to accommodate the families of those who passed, so once entering it became quickly apparent the lack of people in the village. Some passing ninja from Konohagakure a couple weeks ago had told Akino that there were dozens of genin when he met them in the street to talk. Yet here there only six graduating, six people moving on to become Genin and get teams. 

 

Komura stayed by her mother's side as Akino moved to stand with the other five in the front of the room next to Himani-sensei. Taking her mother's hand she walked with her towards the back of the room where her distant cousins were quietly bickering. 

 

Once seeing that they were there, she released her mother's hand and ran over to them, enveloping the twins into her small arms with a grin. 

 

"Hey!" Komura greeted excitedly. She so rarely got to see her cousins so every time that she did it was a special treat. The greeted her back with "Hello," and "Hi," from Fuasu and Tsuasu Misako respectively. 

 

"Ah, Mimura, so great to see you," their parents beckoned to your's.   
"Always a pleasure," mother responded moving in to hug them.   
"I see that you are looking well," Hasuka  complimented, looking Mimura's appearance up and down. She wore an ankle length navy blue skirt with a creme colored blouse and matching sandals. Giving a nod of approval Hasuka passed Mimura onto her husband, Kanito. 

 

"Thank you," her mother replied before Komura's attention was captured once more by the twins.   
"So...Have things been well with you?" Tsuasu asked politely. Tsuasu and Fuatsu were two years older than her five years of age so growing up in a noble family forced them to have a large range of etiquette. 

 

"Yes, Akino is becoming a Genin obviously, so it is a time to celebrate!" Despite her excited words, a frown came to Komura's features. If only father were here to see it. 

 

"Yeah so we heard, you should be starting soon too right? Make sure to do great alright? You'll have our hopes and dreams riding on you!"   
"T-thank you Fuatsu, I can't wait!" The small girl muttered, blushing slightly from the attention. 

 

Finally the induction began with a few words being said from the sensei while the soon-to-be Genin stood uncomfortably in the front of the room. Zoning out, Komura pondered on which headband her brother would be choosing. He was second in the lineup as our last name was Hoshii, second only to Abanusho. 

 

The words of the sensei aroused Komura from her thinking when he commanded them to choose what headband they would wear as they trained to become full-fledged Shinobi. 

 

That day, which should have been a joyous occasion, was ruined so violently that it would remain in the hearts and minds of those who lived long enough to see it before they met the same fate of that which they saw. For no sooner had the first student moved to grasp her choice of headpiece, than screams erupted from outside of the academy.

 

Confusion swept through the people gathered, a few of the quick-thinkers moved towards to the window to peer outside. If she weren't so small, Komura never would have been able to squeeze through the bodies eliciting horrified gasps to see the destruction reigning through the town. 

 

As she stared out at the embers of houses already collapsing, her mind was unable to understand the truth of what was happening. Burning houses were not uncommon in their village because of the heat and scorching sun, but it was rare to this extent. A few people rushed passed the building, one of the only in the vicinity that wasn't already aflame. 

 

The only Chunnin in the room was already on his way out the door, along with a few of the adults, to get water to put out the fires. Before they could make it out of the cramped space however, another nin appeared in front of the group. 

 

"Well would you look at that," the tall man replied. He wore a white mask with facial features of a dog painted on as well as dark green and navy clothing. "A few kids thinking they can be Genin." 

 

"Who are you?" Himani-sensei demanded.   
Without even a sound the intruder hit a pressure point around sensei's neck and she collapsed to the ground, unconscious. The others backed away quickly, giving the man a wife berth. 

 

Another shinobi joined the man, this one with a cat mask.   
"It doesn't look like it's here Inunatsu, we'd better keep looking."   
"Hn, let me finish off these guys first, all is fair in love and war." 

 

The entire room just stared, uncomprehending the situation at hand.   
"They're just kids, leave them,"   
"Those kids might grow up Nekona,"   
Displeasure filled the female's voice, "Make it quick then, we don't want any more trouble."   
"Don't worry about it, just keep looking." 

 

Tsuasu and Fuasu had moved to stand next to Komura and they all gripped each other tightly, fear evident on their young faces.   
"See you all in the afterlife," the ninja called out before making some hand seals and shooting out a stream of fire from his palm, disappearing from view. 

 

In the dryness the fire took immediately, already licking at the floorboards hungrily. The fire blocked he only exit to the small room other than the window so Komura watched as some of the stronger men forced the window to break. 

 

A fleeting thought passed her to bring Himani-sensei to freedom as well but she was already being placed outside by her mother before she even got a chance to ask. 

 

"Come on dear we have to go! Grab your brother's hand and head back to the house. Make sure it's not aflame, I have to take Fuasu and Tsuasu home. I trust you Akino, don't lose Komura, and Komura everything will be fine, so don't worry alright?" 

 

"Yes mother," the two replied in unison. She believed her mother's words. Never before had Mimura lied to her so she put on a smile, easing her mother's fears. 

 

Akino started to pull on Komura's hand, giving her the wordless signal that they should get going. She followed obediently, picking up into a run as the smoke from passing houses stung her eyes and throat. 

 

"Argh! Akino! Slow down!"   
"No we have to keep going! We have to make sure everything's alright at home!"   
A cough erupted from Komura's throat as she stumbled, knocking into a running passerby. The streets were practically deserted in this part of town although screams and the sounds of fire could still be heard. 

 

No flames could be seen in this part thankfully, but Akino continued to drag Komura even that much faster. Finally they made it to their house, which looked as it had when they had left that morning. Thank Kami, she thought, making her way slowly up and into the shack with her brother. 

 

"We have to help them!!" Komura cried towards Akino.   
"No, mother said to stay here and here we shall stay."   
"But there are innocent people who's houses are burning down! We don't even know what those two shinobi where here for!"   
"There's nothing we can do to help Komura, you will stay here."   
"No! I'm going to go help them!"   
"You will not!" Akino rarely raised his voice, preferring instead to settle disputes peacefully.   
"O-okay..." Suddenly timid, Komura trudged upstairs to her room, tearing up slightly. 

 

"I hope mother comes back safe...." Akino muttered, staring outside at the fires steadily approaching their neck of the village. She had said that she was going to go being Fuasu and Tsuasu home, and they lived on the other side of the village. He didn't trust those two, or the rest of the family to be exact. Always pressuring mother with this or that, they even rigged it so that he would pass this year. He certainly wasn't ready, he could barely throw a kunai to hit the target, and that's not even mentioning shuriken. Yet he still graduated, no doubt because of them. 

 

Nor did he miss the snarky grins the twins shared after talking with his younger sister earlier. Hey just didn't give him a good feeling. They were subtle feelings, you had to look for the details but they were certainly there. Needless to say he was worried for Komura. She was young, naive even for her age. He may have been a bit harsh on her earlier but it was necessary, he couldn't have her running around and getting herself killed me it was better to follow orders and do as you're told. Less people are angered that way.


	2. Capture

"Ah! I should ready some buckets, Komura! I'm going to get water, please stay here!" Akino called up to her. He was almost positive she would go off on her own, she had begun her stubborn phase a couple of months ago. 

 

Perhaps he could lie in wait for when she would escape, catch her off-guard and bring her along. Yes that is a good idea. So after she affirms that she won't leave, you exit the house and go around the corner, hiding behind some very dry and prickly bushes. At least it provided a little bit of shade. 

 

The children were safely back in their elaborate house. It was quite a distance from the actual village so it took so time to walk there, even if Mimura had set a quick pace.   
"Now just go inside, your parents should be arriving soon and then everything will be well."   
"We-We've never been alone in the house before..." Fuatsu muttered, tears coming to his eyes.   
"Yeah a-and we're scared! What if the scary masked guy comes back?" Tsuasu sniffles, looking at her. 

 

Mimura internally groaned, she can't stay with them, she has to get back to her own children. If only Hasuka-sama and Kanito-sama hadn't run off in the middle of the frenzy. Where could they have gone? 

 

Hesitantly she answered their pleas, "I suppose I have to..." The sad faces and tears they had put up instantly vanished from their faces, as though they had never been there in the first place. Mimura frowned, knowing it was just a ploy to get her to stay with them a little longer, yet unwilling to back out on her word. 

 

So she stayed with them. As the fires were put out and the day began to wane still Hasuka-sama and Kanito-sama had not returned. 

 

"When are they going to get back?!" Tsuasu demands.   
"Anytime now..." Mimura replies, hesitance in her voice.   
"Tsuasu! Come look! The sun is setting!" Fuasu calls from the other room.   
"Coming!" He replies, running away from the stressed mother. 

 

Mimura moved to head into the room with the twins, yet she realized frantically that her limbs were immobile. She was unable to move a muscle. 

 

"The children are in the other room, let's go. We have the target." An unknown voice mumbled from behind the shaking woman.   
If she could have screamed she would, her thoughts racing a hundred miles a minute.   
Yet she could not move to do so, even as small chuckles came from the adjacent room. 

 

"Nee...Mimura...You wouldn't happen to know where our cousins are do you?" The small voices called out. "We miss them, and if you're going to be leaving we need someone else to play with..." 

 

"We have her, now where's the money?" A gruffer voice called from the shadows of the house.   
"You'll get it as soon as our parents get back, it shouldn't be longer now that you have her." One of the boys replied coldly. "We simply can't allow the pre-noble to survive after her fall to the streets can we?"   
"Exactly brother! No one needs infidels with muddied blood in their veins to survive." 

 

Finally getting a little movement into her body, Mimura's eyes flickered around the room hastily. Still unable to open her mouth however, she blinked, trying to think of how to stall for time. The female holding her moved slightly, adjusting her hold on the older woman. 

 

"Besides...didn't our mother's offer require the capture of Komura and Akino too?"   
"The file described that Mimura-san was first priority, we will collect the children after payment is met.   
"Hmm...brother, don't you think that it's a bit strange? Mercenaries who won't do their job until after they get the money?"   
"Yeah yeah! One could almost call them scum. That's just low...escaping with the money after only half of the job is complete? They could barely even be considered professionals. 

 

Thank Kami, Mimura thought, the children had to be attempting to rile the assailants up. She knew not for what purpose, but if it kept her alive longer, even for just a few moments, it was a good decision. 

 

"Oi, would you quit it? We're trying to keep quiet here." The gruff voice slowly arose from the shadows, revealing a large being, covered in navy colored clothing that was loosely covering his body. 

 

"If you pipsqueaks want your heads smashed in that can be arranged. We're given explicit permission to kill any who might try to interfere"

 

Akino was starting to get bored. He had sat waiting for what he believed would surely be his sister slowly escaping out of the house, yet no sister did appear. It got to the point where he was almost thinking of actually going to get the water and come back as though nothing had happened, yet something kept him rooted to the spot. 

 

Dusk had fallen on the scene when Akino had finally moved to get the water and had come back, dragging it low to the ground on occasion due to it's weight. Geez, he thought. All of that waiting for nothing, not even a single sound of movement from within the house. It was then that he thought something might have happened, might have slipped past his notice. 

 

He quickened his pace considerably, worry slipping into his gait. The fires had been extinguished by the townsfolk in close proximity to where the young boy and girl lived, yet had thankfully not touched the surrounding houses. 

 

When he returned, dismay was clear on his face, for two shadows seemed to move towards the location of their house, and enter it silently. Akino ran, thinking of nothing else but his sister, and how to protect her. 

 

"Ugh, Akino," he muttered into the quiet night. Only cicadas could be heard as the temperature in that dry land decreased, yet even they seemed to have muted themselves in the moonlight. "How could you have left her? You didn't even need the water anymore!" Berating himself for his stupidity he approached their house. 

 

Trying to be as silent as those shadows were, he moved onto the raised platform, and slipped unnoticed through the cracked doorway. The only light illuminating the house was the moonlight seeping through the cloth curtains and the one lamp his sister owned up in their shared room. She hadn't gone to sleep thankfully, so she still might be able to escape if he couldn't hold the two off. 

 

A presence moved in the quiet house. Although not so much as a presence per say, but more like the shifting of air, Akino decided. The air shifted once again, revealing the figure he had seen earlier, beginning to make their way down the lighted hallway. 

 

Although he could not see the other figure he had spied, he took his chances. "Komura! Run!!" He shouted, making a break of his own outside the door and around to the side. Loud cursing resounded throughout the house and through the open window that Komura stood by. 

 

Her eyes were widened considerably and she glanced behind. Seeing a man, dressed in dark clothing approaching her threateningly was enough to move her frightened body to jump. The fall was not far in the least, but with what would surely be another body soon following her, she froze up, crashing into Akino below her and forcing the pair tumbling to the ground. 

 

Akino looked up after adjusting himself and stared in horror at the hand signs flowing effortlessly from the man's hands. "We have to move!" He yelled, exasperated at the situation. 

 

Awkwardly, he pulled Komura to her feet and the pair took off down the dusty lane, fear evident on their faces as they ran for their lives. They dared not look back until Akino made a single peek, only seeing the quickly approaching figure of someone much smaller than the burly assassin from before.

 

Akino slowed to a stop, forcing Komura to as well, despite her protests. The figure also slowed, seeing as how the boy and girl whom she had been sent to retrieve were not interested in running any longer.   
"W-what are you going to do to us?" Despite bravely stepping in front of his sister to keep her from harm, his voice still shook. 

 

Instead of answering, the shadow drew ever closer. She could see that they were about to start running again, so she halted her movements.   
"Do not try to run, I can see what your actions will be before they occur," she muttered, the words managing to reach the ears of the siblings.   
"How?" The boy, Akino she believed was his name, demanded. 

 

She pondered for a moment, considering if she should divulge the secret. Not many hear of it, especially anymore, since most who cultivated the ability were killed off, and those that weren't never taught the skill to their offspring.   
"Hm...to keep it simple enough for your young minds to understand, it has nothing to do with jutsu or any ninja skill." She nodded to herself in her head, deciding on the best course of action. "I mean I suppose it does, but on a basic level not really. You're a Genin right?" 

 

Akino nodded hesitantly, still on guard around the foreigner.   
"Well then you know about Chakra. This ability is created over years of training, and there is no limit to the usefulness of said skill, no matter how strong a Shinobi may get." A confused look came over his face, and a look at his sister behind him showed the same. She continued, "To put it simply, I can see an aura of chakra around any person at any time." 

 

A gasp erupted from the boy's throat, proving that he at least understood, whereas the young girl, Komura, still retained the confused expression. She continued nonetheless. "And with that, after some practice, I can see what any person is about to do a split second before they do it. Should I stumble upon anyone with the same ability however I have countermeasures. And countermeasures for those countermeasures." A small chuckle escapes the female, carrying out into the night. 

 

Akino was, frankly, astonished. Never before had he heard of such an ability, least of all one that didn't require at least a Kekkei Genkai of some sort to produce it. His thoughts were stopped however when the girl suddenly flashed in front of him. She put a palm to his head, emitting a shock to go through the young one who promptly collapsed on the spot. 

 

"That should do for now," the tall figure mutters, gauging her handiwork.   
"W-What did you d-do?" A fearful voice calls. The dark clothed shinobi raises her eyebrows slightly, finally hearing Komura speak at all.   
"Nothing much, for you see Komura, there is one drawback to having this power. It's something I need you to keep from your brother, hence the reason he is sleeping." 

 

The fear upon Komura's face did not wholly disappear, but the innocence about her would not allow the yellow aura of hers to be defiled by pain.   
"O-Okay..." She muttered.   
"Part of the reason this power is so rare, is because if it is ever used in a way to harm others for your own sake, you will be rejected. I don't know what that boy has seen in this world, but I believe I can trust you that when the time comes, you can stop him so. Make sure to only protect, Komura, and your light will never fade. Goodnight." 

 

And with that dismissal she too received the same treatment as Akino, falling asleep as the cells inside her couldn't keep up with the amount of sudden chakra.

 

"Hm...that boy's aura..." The female shinobi muttered. "How it changed when I spoke of power...It's no matter, everything will come to pass as it will, for the wheel of time moves ever onward.


	3. Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just so you all know, updates will be on a somewhat-weekly basis :D

The siblings came to around the same moment, both startled from a deep sleep.   
"Komura...?" Akino called from a few feet away from her. "Why does my head hurt?" His voice became increasingly panicked the longer he went on. "And why are we in the middle of the woods?!" 

 

Through the leaves above, Komura witnessed the final wisps of smoke trailing up into the sky. She blinked before pointing at them, indicating for Akino to follow her. 

 

"Where's mother? Oh no!! I hadn't even thought about her last night!! What happened?! Is she okay?!"   
"Akino calm down, just look through your eyes."   
"What do you mean?! I am looking!!"   
"I mean really look, at me." 

 

Akino quieted down at his sister's words. He closed his eyes momentarily and reopened them, seeing an almost imperceptible glow around Komura.   
"K-Komura...you're glowing yellow..."   
"Yes Akino I am well aware," Komura replies sarcastically.   
"Well what color am I?" 

 

Komura paused before answering, "A light blue..." It was the first time she had ever lied to Akino. Sure, there were jokes and snide comments every now and then, but never a flat out lie. In truth, Akino's aura was a deep crimson, a little lighter than the shade of blood. 

 

"Oh really?! I wonder what that could say about me..."   
"We should probably be getting back..." A little reminder was all that it took to get Akino back on track, thinking once more about the events that had transpired. As the pair walked in search of where the smoke had risen from, Akino babbled nonstop about last night, from berating himself, to defending himself, to making sure that she was okay, to worry about mother, and finally wondering why the female had let them go practically unscathed, before looping around again.

 

Komura herself was quiet. The events of the night past whirling through her head in a never ending dance. She too pondered the reason for them being alive, but other thoughts glided past as well. While she was young and didn't know much, she knew this, Komura was sure that the woman was supposed to kill the two of them. It certainly would have been simple, with how easy it was to incapacitate them for her. Yet she didn't. Nor did the small girl think, she would ever receive an answer to her questions. 

 

The shrubbery thinned and trees grew more scarce as Akino and Komura were revealed from the forest. To their dismay, what lay before them was in fact the burned-out remains of their village. 

 

Silently, they approached the embers, no longer producing the mass of smoke as they had earlier. They stood resolute, unable to believe that what they saw in front of them used to be their home. 

 

Wooden and stone pieces poked out of the ground, the only charred remains of a once prosperous village. Numbly they passed by, the worst of the carnage were the bodies. Horrible stinking masses of undefinable flesh and bone, where once living and breathing people stood. 

 

The children were stunned silent, simply gazing around at the horrors surrounding them. Not a sound passed through the ghost town, the vultures hadn't even bothered to come down and see what meat was ripe for the picking. 

 

The heat of the day only made the smells worse, baking the bodies after they had already been burned through. Komura thought that she would never be able to get the picture out of her head. 

 

The entire town, wiped out in mere hours. Akino was sure the news had spread to the bigger cities, some traveling merchant must have seen the carnage and reported it to the authorities. He realized then that they couldn't stay here. 

 

"Komura," he whispered, not wanting to break the stillness of the land. "We need to go. There's nothing left for us here." Honestly, he was scared. What thirteen year old wouldn't be? He wasn't sure how his sister was holding herself together so, but he admired her for it slightly.   
"But-" Komura tried.   
"No buts." 

 

Komura fell silent, knowing her brother was right. They meandered down the path until they reached their home, or what it used to be. Nothing remained, not the kitchen table where they would all eat together every night. Not their bedroom, where they had shared many nights staying up when they weren't supposed to be. Not even the scrolls Akino read in the early hours of the morning when everyone was still asleep. 

 

Yet mother was nowhere to be found. Akino concluded that she must not have returned last night before the burning occurred, which gave him hope. Even so the logical side of his brain crushed that hope, knowing deep down that she was gone. 

 

"Akino, it's not good to linger on thoughts of what-ifs and could-haves," Komura called to him. Shaking himself out of the revery, he looked at her, really looking. The sadness and regret that she herself had, manifested itself into her aura, decreasing it's brilliance. 

 

"Haha, don't worry about me sis, I'll be fine, it's you I'm more worried about." He smiled, trying to lighten the atmosphere. A thin smile made it's way to her face, lacking any of the usual humor. 

 

"We should go, as you said, there's nothing left for us here." Komura muttered, turning from the house. Only then did she let a single tear flow, not halting it's descent until it dropped to the sandy floor below.

 

Akino and Komura dejectedly left the remains of the village behind. They knew nothing about where to go or what do, only the will to survive driving then foreword, back into the forest where they woke up. The sun was high in the sky when they first felt the rumbles of their stomaches. 

 

A groan escaped Komura's mouth as she looked around at all the green and brown foliage. Something here must be edible, if only we knew what. Akino was thinking of a similar mind, although instead of food he thought of shelter. No doubt ninja would be coming sooner or later to inspect the remains, and they would surely search the surrounding area for any sign of survivors. 

 

If they didn't want to be brought back either as outcasts or in suspicion, they would have to hide. As he was about to reach out and touch her shoulder she swiftly looked back at his outstretched hand. He paused his movement, but showed no sign of any other confusion. 

 

"Komura," he began.   
"Yes?" She answered back.   
"I think we need to be prepared. Anything new could happen out here. It's likely we'll die from one reason or another, but you don't want that, do you?" 

 

Komura thought a moment on Akino's words. Of course she did not want to die, she was too young for such ideas, but with the war going on it was not inconceivable that death would occur. Not to mention natural dangers out in the woods, and they were unarmed. 

 

Now, I will tell you in advance, there are a handful of things that can occur when two people are put into a situation such as they are presently. The first is lose hope, and die. The second, live on but only barely and with no purpose, living day by day. The third is that only one survives and the other lives on for them. The fourth requires the aid of at least one other person, they are saved from the predicament and follow the savior wholeheartedly. Yet this story deals with the fifth, they manage to survive for an extended period of time, and finally find a home back in society, or some form of it. 

 

To the two young siblings, death was not an option. They were the sole survivors of a village wrecked my turmoil, and to toss that fortune, good or bad, out the window would be disgraceful to their mother. 

 

Akino's limited knowledge of plants was able to get them through a day before his lack of knowledge provided no ideas for other edible food source of a plant nature. So they moved on, eating what they could and straying away from possibly harmful greens. 

 

With Akino's forethought, he realized that Komura's bright clothing could attract unwanted attention, and even muddied his clothing along with hers when a stream was discovered the following day. 

 

Berries and plants were all good and all, but Komura could not resist her hunger. The pair had lost an eye-raising amount of weight, walking or running all week and sleeping high up in the trees at night, always with one of them on lookout. 

 

In that time they had seen no other sign of human life thankfully. But they were always on guard in case anything were to occur. Before moving from their location in the morning they would practice moving quickly through the trees in the area. Akino didn't know much, but whatever he could he taught to Komura. 

 

It was on one such morning when they spotted the remains of a campsite. After a week of no idea if this was even a part of any nation's territory, for they had no idea the distance that they had traveled, finally some sign of human life was discovered.

 

Komura and Akino dropped from the trees, inspecting the campsite. The fire pit was cold, some of the woods still remaining inside. Although the sun had not even started it's heavenly decent, Akino decided to stop for the night. 

 

"Why are we stopping here?" Komura protested.   
"Because, it's high time we practice on jutsu, and since now there is proof of others nearby, we need to make sure we can at least try to defend ourselves."   
"I don't know any jutsu..." Komura states the obvious.   
"This is why for you we will only work on Taijutsu. You know the differences between the three correct?"  
"Mhm," Komura nods in affirmation.  
"Then let's begin." 

 

At first Akino tried to be gentle. Whenever they practiced in the academy it was always on dummies, so it was okay to go full force into your technique. However these attacks were being used directly on Komura so she could good get a good feel for them. 

 

A few hours later, Komura was able to do something to stop a handful of the different possibilities she might see. 

 

Satisfied, he then had her practice the kicks he just performed on a nearby stump. It was difficult at first, she needed to work on her balance so she wouldn't fall over, but Akino was sure she would get them in time. 

 

For that day, all he had her do was practice. On a living tree on the opposite side of the clearing he worked his own kicks, putting more strength into them this time so as not to lose the skill. 

 

Komura ceased practicing when she felt her left leg give out. She had worked both of them so as not to tire out as quickly, but it seems to have happened anyway. 

 

Instead, she sat cross-legged over near the fire pit and closed her eyes. Slowly breathing in and out, she calmed her racing heartbeat and, with nothing else to do, listened to the surrounding forest. The sounds of bugs and animals were diminished by the overarching noises of Akino practicing. 

 

His labored breathing was apparent and Komura could almost imagine his posture as he readied himself to perform another attack. Despite her imagining she didn't see him in full color, instead it was more so an outline of what his aura might be. 

 

In her imagination he stood up fully and lifted his leg, before setting it back down again. The sounds of crunching leaves passed closer to Komura as she opened her eyes, breaking the trance-like state. 

 

Akino stood in front of Komura before sitting down like her.   
"Hey there," he greeted cheerfully.   
"Hello..." she responded, slightly confused. 

 

"I don't know a lot of ninjutsu," Akino began. "But I do know one thing that can come in real handy."   
"And that is...?"   
"That, my dear sister, would be the Transformation Jutsu."


	4. Transform

Komura nodded once, giving Akino the go-ahead to explain. 

 

"Okay, well remember that time a couple months ago, when I told you about how chakra works?" Another nod. 

 

"Well for ninjutsu, to make an action occur you need the right mix of chakra,energy, and the correct hand-seals." 

 

"So what are the ones for this Jutsu?"   
"Hold on, hold on, I'm getting there. Just let me do my teacher thing, it's fun." 

 

Komura smiled at her brother's antics, but let him continue nonetheless. 

 

"It's very simple in fact, you just need to make the ram hand seal, here it looks like this." He demonstrates how to hold the hands until Komura is following along.  

 

Then he infuses Chakra into the technique and transforms into a rough version of his sister. He wasn't able to get the long hair to the perfect length and it was certainly weird to wear a skirt for the first time, but it was decent. 

 

"One last thing," he explains turning back into himself. "You have to visualize the person or thing you want to be to the finest detail, or else it won't look how you want it to. 

 

Komura takes it all in for a moment, thinking. "I'll turn into you then." 

 

She holds her hands in the seal for a long time, building up the amount she thought it might take to perform. When she had a good amount, Komura muttered "Henge," and visualized her brother. His spiky red hair, the bright blue of his eyes, the height difference between the two, his attire, the clothing built for mobility and hiding in the sandy terrain where they used to live. 

 

With a poof, no longer stood Komura, instead an almost perfect replica of Akino stood before him. 

 

"Haha great job sis! I didn't expect you to do so well on your first try." No sooner had he said so than she was already back in her usual form. 

 

"We're going to practice that Jutsu a lot, as well as the taijutsu as we travel. Transforming takes chakra to perform, and to keep up appearances it steadily drains the chakra of the user." 

 

"But I used most of my chakra to transform in the first place!" Komura cried with dismay.   
"Which is why we will practice. The more it's used, the less chakra it requires, and this will help you increase the amount of chakra stores you have within you too." 

 

"Jeez Akino you're talking like you know everything. You're only just a Genin!"   
"Haha yeah...a Genin without a sensei." 

 

Akino's face fell into a troubled one, and Komura was unsure if she should ask about it. Instead she picked herself up and went in the direction of the stream that they had been following for a couple days. 

 

Akino said that anyone can only live a few days without water, so as to not have to deal with the effects of dehydration, they stayed in the trees along it's banks. 

 

Komura's stomach rumbled again, it always seemed to be empty no matter the amount they seemed to consume from nuts and berries. Perhaps...

 

The stream was clear enough to see a handful of fish lazily swimming by. Komura took off her filthy sandals, they weren't made for the type of running they did anyway, and waded into the water. 

 

It was frigid on her bare legs and the sliminess of the rocks below her were not helping the situation. Still, she calmed herself and waited until the fish drew near. 

 

One of them was swimming a bit lopsided, having only one normal side fin and another smaller side fin to keep it balanced. 

 

She decided, seeing this, to leave that fish out of her capturing attempt. Komura reached into the water nearby the biggest fish, but it swam far away before she could grasp it. 

 

She tried another but this one too swam quickly away. In her trials the other three passed out of her reach and continued down the river. 

 

A sigh escaped Komura's lips as she watched the potential food swim away. Another grumble however made her smile for a moment before she got out of the water and began walking back towards Akino. 

 

He was still troubled, this she could tell just by looking. His aura only proved the fact, as it was a duller crimson, almost a maroon in color. 

 

Komura wanted to help him, he was always making her smile, even in terrible situations like this. Even when she started crying over their loss. He never got angry at her for crying again, he never got sad over the events, only comforting. Always comforting. 

 

If she woke up at night from nightmares of fire and blood, he was always there, ready to calm her down and ease her back into sleep so she could keep watch in a few hours. 

 

But it was times like these, when Akino was troubled, that Komura felt the worst. He was always there to comfort her and make her feel better but running away from the pain, as he had instructed her to do, seemed to take a heavy toll on him.

 

Every time it happened he always looked worse, and that was just in a week and a half. 

 

"Hey...Akino?" Komura asked timidly.   
"Yes?" He responded picking his head back up.   
"Can you dry me off? I was trying to get some fish..." 

 

Akino smiled, nodding.   
"Come closer to the fire, I'll burn what's left and we can get some more wood together."   
"Thanks!" She called, approaching the fire pit cautiously. 

 

Akino thought for a moment and concentrated his chakra into a point, making the tiger hand sign he released a spark into the wood. 

 

Thankfully the flames took and Komura sat down next to the warmth.   
"I'll be back okay? Make sure to save a seat for me!" 

 

He could hear Komura's laugh from across the clearing as he slithered into the trees. 

 

Now it was her turn to be sullen. Perhaps if she could learn a technique, and teach it to him, then he wouldn't feel so sad because he doesn't have someone to teach him things. Yes, that's what she'll do. 

 

But what could she learn? And how?

 

She thought about what she knew, which was mostly what Akino had taught her. Perhaps if she combined a couple of the lessons she could figure something out. 

 

She'd have to do it when Akino is asleep though, or else he might find out. Maybe something soft then, so it won't cause a lot of noise, but still a lot of damage. 

 

Let's start with punching. How could she make that softer? Maybe...? No, that would change the technique entirely. 

 

Perhaps if one were to open their hand when punching? Komura looked down at her own, small hand and made a motion as if to punch something. Then she tried it with an open palm. 

 

When her punch came out it was more than awkward, but it got the general idea across. Komura punched where her hand came out completely flat against whatever surface she might attempt it on, and tried tilting her wrist when it came out so that the side of it would hit her opponent. 

 

She frowned, deep in thought, but pushed them aside for later when Akino returned.   
"Hey...so you think you could help me with this? I can't carry it all back by myself." 

 

Komura nodded and stood up, the front of her body dried off. Following Akino, they arrived where he had knocked down a tree, mostly into splinters with a few actual pieces of usable wood. 

 

"Hehe," Akino laughed, rubbing the back of his neck. "I needed to knock it down somehow." 

 

Komura smiled in response to her brother's words, walking over to a log and trying to pick it up. Despite her struggling, she could barely lift it before needing to put it back down. 

 

When Akino tried, he too couldn't lift it. However, a couple of tries later he lifted it with no problem. 

 

"Chakra," he explained to her astonished expression. "I'll tell you a bit more when you get older but for now I'll only say chakra." 

 

Komura pouted, but didn't press the subject. A couple of returns to the fire later,  it was dark outside and the light flickered over the pair ominously. 

 

"I'll take first watch Akino, you always take it so it's my turn now." When Akino tried to dispute the matter she firmly placed her palm upon his face. 

 

"No buts, I'm taking first watch and that's that."   
"Fiiiiiiiiiiiiine." Akino conceded, climbing into a nearby tree as Komura stared into the flames. 

 

Quietly, she walked over to the base of the tree and listened closely for her brother's breathing. When she deemed it slow enough, Komura slunk away from the tree until she was once again down by the water. 

 

This time however she would use the stump Akino had made earlier to try out her technique. 

 

Something about Akino's explanation had repeated itself in her head. If he used chakra to lift the heavy log, perhaps it could also be used to add more damage to a target. 

 

Komura frowned, deep in thought, before deciding to try it out. She breathed in and out a few times, and looked into the energy in everything for good measure.

 

She could see the flow of energy throughout her body, and it seemed to pool around certain areas. Deciding to check that out later, she returned to the task at hand. 

 

She wondered if he moved amounts of chakra into his hands and arms, and that was how he had lifted it, or if he had strengthened the energy in his hands somehow. 

 

Komura thought for a moment and determined to practice the first thought first, and if that didn't work then to try the others. 

 

To give herself a feel for the technique she sat in front of the stump and hit it a few times, alternating between left and right hands, and flat or edged hand. 

 

Breathing another slow breath, Komura began to gather chakra into her hand. It took a while, but Komura was able to see how her progress was going with her eyes. 

 

Trickle by slow trickle, the energy in her hand built up, until she thought she had enough. 

 

With measured strength, Komura hit the stump with her palm and felt the energy be absorbed by the wood. It seemed to spread out in tube-like tendrils throughout the tree, before the connection was lost. 

 

Processing what had just happened took a couple moments for the small girl as she stared at the trunk. When the energy had passed it seemed almost to be searching for something but it couldn't find what it was looking for before dissipating. 

 

Next, Komura tried using the edge of per hand, on the side with the pinky on it. Doing the same method took some time again of course, but she put roughly the same amount, so as to compare. 

 

When it was charged to the amount she had determined, Komura hit the stump with the edge of her palm. This time however, the energy only seemed to go foreword, in the line made by her hand. 

 

To put it simply, the difference could be explained like this. The first attack felt like a slap, where all the energy dispersed into the wood equally. Whereas the second was more like a knife, cutting in only one line but that line retained the majority of the energy until it hit the core. 

 

Fascinated by this new revelations, Komura looked at the top of the stump. Her eyebrows rose as she gazed down at fractures throughout the wood and one long strips right through the middle that hadn't been present before. 

 

What was strange is that from the side, it looked like nothing had changed, but in this case, the inside is what was really affected. 

 

As Komura stealthily retreated back to the campsite, she pondered the events which just took place. While she would love to try some more, her chakra was once again depleted. It wasn't even just a feeling either, when Komura looked into the matter she could see that her energy was moving slowly to try to fill up the gaps. 

 

If she didn't have to keep watch until the moon passed halfway through it's arc tonight, she surely would fall asleep instantly. As it was she yawned sleepily and tried to remain awake.


	5. Drain

Morning came sunny and bright upon Komura's face. Mentally, she cursed herself for falling asleep during her watch and letting Akino sleep all night. 

 

What if something had happened? They wouldn't be survivors then, they'd be a pair of kids acting like ninja when they had no real skill or knowledge. Speaking of which... 

 

"Akino wake up, it's time to get moving again."   
"Uggnnn," he groaned. "Another 5 minutes?"   
"Nope! If you don't hurry up I'm leaving without you!" Cheerily, she ran off in the direction of the stream before Akino had a chance to realize that he wasn't woken up last night. 

 

As she approached the water though, Komura heard the distinct sound of voices. She slowed her pace down considerably, and peered around before coming out from behind any trees or bushes. 

 

Down by the water she spied a pair of boys, looking to be about the same age as her brother. These ones were in full shinobi attire, with weapons and the like, instead of her brother's loose and light colored clothing. 

 

Neither of the pair wore any sign of status however, other than the headbands depicting their home village. Even her brother didn't have his headband, for as far as she knew in the moment he had forgotten to grab it. 

 

The two boys were conversing lowly, in words that Komura couldn't catch. She turned around slowly, attempting to move back to retrieve Akino before moving in a different direction, but something held her there. 

 

Recounting the incident later, she could never determine exactly what had kept her rooted to the location, deciding that it was just another mystery of the universe never to be uncovered. For the pair were not particularly remarkable, other than their very existence, and at such a close distance so early in the morning. 

 

The moonlight had allowed her to practice in the darkness, but now the sun revealed shapes and forms that hadn't been available to her at night. 

 

All she could do was gaze at them as they spoke. It seemed to her when the talking ceased that the shorter of the two was searching for something. He didn't exhibit any signs other than a closing of the eyes, but it still sent a shiver up Komura's spine. 

 

Suddenly, the smaller one looked directly at her location, frightening the small girl. The taller boy glanced over before tapping the other's shoulder.

 

The latter simply nodded at the former and made way for him. The green-haired boy, who was the taller of the two, leaped over towards Komura, closing the distance with a blinding speed. 

 

Scarcely had the bushes been parted than Akino fell in front of her, effectively stopping the incoming attack. She gasped, surprised, but had no time to sit there and stare for a pair of arms grabbed her from behind. One covered Komura's mouth as the other wrapped itself around her waist, lifting her up and backwards. 

 

She struggled, unable to see the captor, flailing her arms about and trying to wrench the fingers from her side to no avail. Akino turned to look at the commotion behind him yet only the quickly vanishing shoes of Komura could be seen. 

 

As quickly as she was gone, so to was his vision as Akino crumpled to the ground. 

 

Breathing a sigh, the green-haired boy checked the red-haired one's pulse to make sure that he was actually out for the time being. Feeling satisfied, Otoke gazed down at him. 

 

He wasn't particularly admirable looking on any fronts, but he was still wary. You never know what could happen on a mission, especially when other people get involved. 

 

From what he saw of the girl, she didn't look like a shinobi, and neither did this guy. He wore light clothing, in both color and weight, that was loose, probably to allow the fabric to breathe a little. He took a little or it between his fingers and marveled at it's creation. 

 

It was a thickly woven fabric that didn't allow for much stretch, likely worn for it's durability. Perhaps a villager of an Earth village? He seemed to have a little bit of training in him when he blocked your first strike, but certainly not enough for the second. 

 

If he hadn't known any better he'd have guessed that the kid was a Genin, but with no forehead protector he best he could go for was a trainee. If they're starting to send people who can barely block a punch then this war is starting to get ridiculous, he thinks to himself. 

 

For safety precautions, a bit of rope is used to tie the boy to a nearby tree. Otoke checks him thoroughly beforehand for any weapons or any useful artifacts but is surprised to find not a single thing on him other than his clothing and an interesting piece tied around his chest, covering the boy's heart. 

 

The knot looked as if it hadn't been undone in quite a while, for what the loose clothing covered was, assumedly, the boys forehead protector. The sign of Sunagakure was engraved there, taking him aback. 

 

It was certainly easy to guess at clothing, especially when your parents sold it and talked about it nonstop. It got annoying sometimes but it came in handy occasionally by identifying the homeland of an incapacitated enemy. Kinda like now in fact. 

 

What really got to him though was that he was wrong. About these things he was rarely wrong, but this time he was. Even on a boy clothing from Suna would entail something where the fibers were more spread out to allow it to breathe in the heat and sweat of the day. 

 

He was certain that the boy would be from an Earth village, yet he wasn't. Otoke almost pushed it aside to continue moving along with life, but it really stuck to him. 

 

As he got up to check on his teammate, Otoke paused for a moment, before tearing a scrap of fabric from the boy's shirt. He would check this out when he returned. It was certainly possible that some Genin had been sent to infiltrate the Land of Wind, so double checking and notifying someone wouldn't be a bad idea.

 

As for Komura, she was certainly having an interesting time. The hand on her waist, after dragging her into a standing position, moved upward so that while the hand on her mouth remained, the other was held at her neck. 

 

With every gulp she could feel the skin of his hand clench slightly tighter around her throat, leaving her gasping but more than complacent. 

 

They walked a little ways, making strange patterns and occasionally doubling back before finally stopping. Out of fear, Komura hadn't tried anything better than a few measly kicks to his shin every now and then which only got her a grunt and a tighter squeeze before letting her breathe. 

 

She felt lightheaded and thoughts appeared and left unaided by her mental state. Not a single word was spoken by either of them, one out of desperation, the other out of cold calculation. 

 

To the brown-haired boy, this girl was below weak. She had barely put up a fight, and what little she had posed not a single threat to him other than maybe a bruise later. 

 

She was obviously no shinobi and by the looks of it no training in the slightest. It was almost a chore to go through with all of these precautions. Otoke always said you could never be too careful but he just thought it was unnecessary work. 

 

When he finally let her go she fell to her knees, scrambling away from him. Her back hit a tree and she swiftly turned her head to gaze at it before snapping her eyes back to him. 

 

"I'm not going to rape you or anything if that's what you're worried about," he called out to her shaking form.   
"T-then what do you want?" She asked. If he left her here it would take her a long time to get back to Akino for she hadn't kept track of where they had gone. They could be 20 feet away and she wouldn't have known for the stillness of the forest. 

 

A pause, then "What's your name?" She gulped at the non-answer but answered truthfully anyway. 

 

"K-Komura."   
"And what are you doing out here in the middle of the woods all alone?"   
"I'm not alone! I'm with my brother!"  

 

He simply nodded his head, contemplating the answer.   
"Age?"   
"Ten." 

 

His eyebrows rose at her age but he kept the rest of his face impassive.   
"Brother's name?"   
"Akino..." 

 

"Hm...Where do you come from?" Otoke was the nicer of the pair. Where he would use fear and power to make opponents tell him information, Otoke would figure out the details from sight and hearing alone. 

 

Both ways were flawed certainly, but if certain details matched up from both of their interrogations, it was almost certainly correct. 

 

That was there purpose here in fact. They weren't very skilled in any form of jutsu but surprise had always been their ally and against two children like this it was a piece of cake. He would gather info from the girl while Otoke would from the boy, write it down and compare it later to assess the movements and whereabouts of anyone and everyone in the forests of the Land of Wind. 

 

Komura paused, trying to come up with an answer. She shouldn't say her actual village for that could be hazardous to be known to come from there, but any other might not sound convincing. 

 

"I can tell if you lie by the way," the boy added. It was a total bluff on his part but she didn't need to know that. 

 

"Sunagakure," she concluded. It wasn't a total lie. Their town was so far on the outskirts that it had it's own name but it was considered to be part of Sunagakure by the elders. 

 

"Well why are you so far from home?" Komura looked away from him crossing her arms with a sad look on her face.   
"Exploring...." 

 

"Lying remember?" The boy reminded her. She huffed before looking back at him and really looking. It had gotten easier over the past days to do it, so now it took only a blink to be able to pick out the aura's of everything. 

 

All of the plants and animals suddenly became clearer as Komura's vision sharpened. Her eye twitched a little, still unused to the extra strain on it but the sight didn't falter. Most of the plants remained green in aura as in color but a handful had strange and bright ones. 

 

Even the boy in front of her projected a green aura liken to the plants around him. This time however it almost seemed that the aura gathered itself around the boy in points. It still looked like a sphere around him but some parts looked deeper than others, almost like strings connecting the outside to his body. 

 

She gave a little gasp, never having seen them before, which set him on guard. He glanced behind him a moment but turned around as soon as she made to move. 

 

"My question...?" He asked again, the narrowing of his eyes and way that he spoke regaining it's coldness. Although Komura rose, the brown-haired one only got into a defensive stance, not even moving closer. 

 

She didn't know what she was doing, but having her sight comforted Komura and she decided that no more questions would she answer. He would catch her if she decided to flee so no doubt fighting was her only option. 

 

A quiet came over the pair, neither making a move against the other. Finally Komura moved, slowly making her way towards the other. 

 

He just gazed at her as she neared. A thousand different plans ran through his head of how to beat her, with other replacing them with each step she took. When she moved her leg up to kick him however was when he moved. 

 

A flicker of movement by his aura in her direction was noticed before she was unceremoniously knocked over. Only a little push was needed to set her off-balance enough to tip her over on the one foot. 

 

Komura let out a breath on the impact before rising again and this time aiming a punch. He was only playing with her at this point so he let it hit him, waiting to see her reaction when he was perfectly fine. 

 

What he didn't expect was not to be perfectly fine. For at the last second, Komura changed her attack. An open palm struck a bit below of the center of his chest but the effect was almost instantaneous. 

 

A jolt went through him as he collapsed to the ground, exhausted. He tried to make himself stand up but his legs felt like jelly, as thought they couldn't support any weight. 

 

The sight of her attacker face-planting would have made Komura laugh if she too weren't able to move. Her body gave out, only a small amount of energy left within it and it couldn't take the use of any more.


	6. Descend

The rough gravel on the forest floor dug into Komura's cheek as her sleep deepened into a coma. Around her, the attacker was picked up and carried by his partner. So when she came to hours later in the dark, Komura was alone.  

 

She groaned, moving her sore body into a sitting position. Her head felt dizzy and she wobbled a bit as she tried to stand up. Finally, the memories of earlier came back to her. 

 

Komura's eyes widened as she swiftly tilted her head to stare at the full moon above her. "Akino!" She shouted, hoping he would hear her. Without knowing where he was in position to where she was brought it was her only hope. 

 

However not a single word of response was uttered, the only sound greeting her ears being that of the forest. Hopelessness swamped Komura's mind in waves, to the point where her knees slowly dropped to the ground. 

 

Why? Why did this happen? Where could he be?! What if he's hurt?! Or worse, dead? 

 

A thousand questions whirled through Komura's head, a thousand more without answers. As if sensing her turmoil, a grey shadow prowled it's way through the underbrush, stopping to glance over at her before slowly approaching. 

 

Komura saw it out of the corner of her eye, knowing it to be a raccoon by it's black and white facial features. Gently, it padded it's way across the clearing to the hysterical girl and tilted it's head, as if confused. 

 

"Go away," she called through her tears. Neither did the animal respond with heeding her action, nor with any other indication of response other than to continue blinking it's big black eyes. 

 

"Ugh, even the forest creatures don't answer me," Komura wailed. He padded closer, she had determined him to be male because she could, and prodded her with his nose. 

 

"What do you want?" Of course he didn't answer her, he just stared up into her wet eyes as she frantically tried to wipe them away. "Why are you even here? All of the other animals flee at the sight of a human." 

 

Again, no answer came other than another prod with his wet black nose. Komura sighed at his actions and slowly reached out to it, as if to pet. Although the raccoon retreated slightly, he eventually allowed her to gently brush his fur. 

 

A smile made it's way to Komura's face at the softness of him as she continued to pet. Deciding to give him a name, she thought for a while, absentmindedly brushing his back, until she determined a good one. 

 

"Garoma," she named, and upon seeing his ears twitch slightly, decided that he liked it. "Well your name is now Garoma and I like you. Do you think nyou could find my brother? His name is Akino and I seem to have lost him..." 

 

From his laying down position, Garoma swiftly stood up. Looking back at her, he turned and made his way through the bushes. Komura too rose and followed diligently behind him, wondering how he had understood that, or even if he had. 

 

Hours later, Komura was starting to get annoyed. Night had fallen long ago and only by the light of the not-quite-full moon was she able to still spy her elusive guide. Another yawn escaped her pale lips as she stumbled into yet another berry bush. 

 

Tearing her loose clothing from the thorns, Komura let out a frustrated groan. "Are you sure this is the way? It's been hours and we haven't found him!" 

 

Garoma let out what sounded like a growl, not even ceasing in his path through the brush. Instinctively, Komura's shoulders made their way to her ears as she continued to follow him. It was better than nothing right? At least wasn't wandering aimlessly alone. Although she was tired...very tired. 

 

Another yawn brought her to a halt in a small area free of trees and bushes. "W-wait!" She called. "I'm not going any further than this tonight! I'm too tired!" Without giving any notice to her words, Garoma continued as if nothing had been spoken. 

 

"Wait!" She cried again. "Aren't you going to wait for me?" Yet still no heed was paid to her cries. Now she was faced with a decision. Follow Garoma or allow her body the rest it definitely needed? While pondering her situation, her guide escaped her eyesight, leaving her lost once more in the forest. 

 

A deep frown graced Komura's features, yet the call of the night, and her legs, to sleep was too great for the young girl. Mourning the loss of her compatriot and even more so her brother, she felt sadness once more. 

 

The bright morning sunlight shown upon Komura's face far too quickly in her opinion. Blearily, she gazed up into the sunrise-touched sky and let out a massive yawn. She rubbed her eyes before deciding that sleep was impossible now and glanced below her at the ground, only to see a familiar grey and black friend licking the bark of her tree. 

 

A squeal of delight escaped her lips as Komura bounded down to the ground below and swept Garoma up into her arms. From his position, the small raccoon let out a disgruntled noise and struggled in her arms before she mercilessly put him down. 

 

"You came back!!" She shouted into the awakening woods, not caring about any predator that might hear. Garoma's wet nose twitched as he gently prodded her leg and turned to pad once again through the woods. 

 

Komura followed along happily, her mind alert despite her body's tiredness, to whatever lies before them.


	7. Ascend

One year passes in the blink of an eye for the young Komura. She has grown a bit stronger over time, remaining in the woods of their original escape and training there. Her animal friend had managed to stay with her, without too many disappearances. Garoma always disappeared at night but returned to Komura every morning. 

Despite her best efforts, Komura eventually gave up looking for Akino. There was a time where she had gotten angry at Garoma but immediately calmed down when he left and hadn't returned for more than a few hours. She still held hope of finding him, but now she was more focused on getting stronger and surviving than other 24 hour wanderings like days previous. 

Winter was especially difficult for the young girl for living out in the woods, despite initially being near a warm climate, was obviously not healthy. So for those 2 months out of the year when temperature drastically dropped, Komura allowed herself to travel away from the forest and back into a desert town, not too unlike their previous home. Despite her pleadings, Garoma refused to go with her into the city so Komura walked out to the forest every other night at the same spot, occasionally seeing her friend, and occasionally not. 

No one questioned a young girl in tattered and dirty clothing who begged for scraps on the street or who watched the now upcoming Genin dreamily. She commonly walked about in the garb of a poor person still, but with brown hair and green eyes and slightly different features instead of her actual clothing and state. Over the months leading up to winter she had practiced the transformation technique should it be needed, and the training certainly came in handy, despite the work and tiredness it took to get there. The only time she dropped the guise was at night when no one was out and about and she could be safe, or safer at least. 

To accurately be able to distinguish a difference in power level from the beginning, here is a look into an encounter with another ninja to fully be able to describe her circumstances:

It was at night in the dark, only slightly lit by the not-quite-half moon above when she was meditating. Not long before the winter Komura had spied a trio of ninja where two were sleeping and the other seemed to be doing the same. Except she was sitting up in the same position and called out to Komura without even giving a sign that she noticed her presence. 

The assurance in the girl's voice that she was there was enough to convince her to leave the area post haste. Ever since, Komura had also taken up the position whenever she needed to conserve energy or concentrate on something. It also helped to be able to train her brain to "see" or at least attempt to, anything happening around her using other senses. 

She wasn't particularly skilled in the latter yet, but the red-head was determined to persevere. Even with her untrained ears, the one who approached her seemed to be trying to make a racket, something clinking lightly against another object on what was probably a belt of some sort. 

"Hey," he called gruffly. Komura popped one eye open to stare at the older man, only being able to see the white aura around him symbolizing that yes, just like every other human, he was alive. After spending so much time without human contact, and knowing by now which plants were healthy and were not, it seemed that her eyesight with aura viewing had decreased dramatically. Presently, she was only able to see the white line of life, and that's if she really tried. It was quite annoying to say the least. 

Without waiting for an audible response, he drew nearer, only receiving the response of Komura's other eye opening to join the first. "What are you doing out here so late girly?" The closer he grew, the easier it was to tell that his lurching was due to the strong sense of alcohol, and not a limp like she had thought.

"Well..." she muttered, not knowing exactly to say, especially as a subconscious feeling of dread came over her.

"It's a bit late for someone so young as you to be out isn't it?" He stood right in front of her now, so close that she had to crane her neck just to see his face. "Unless you don't have anywhere to go back to, that is." 

A small whimper escaped Komura's lips at his words, a smirk growing on the man's face at the sound. "I have a deal for ya, kid," he stated. At her nod, he continued, "It's an assassination job if you're up for it. You won't be the only one but you can kill 'em however ya want. You interested?" 

Komura frowned, not quite sure the reasoning behind his request, or why he wanted her of all people to undertake the task. "Well? I haven't got all night and I'm sure the others will be more than happy to kill the bastard themselves."

"Why?" She croaked out, her voice unused to speaking.

"Don't make it sound like you're special or anything, kid. It's just a test. If you fail, that's okay, you can come back and continue with your life like normal," he lied. "If you win you get a better life in the form of money. Money means everything in this world, and someone like you could use it." 

Reluctantly, Komura nods, officially accepting the offer. If nothing else, she thinks, I'll just return to the forest like always. "Some people have probably already started so I'd suggest you get a move on, dearie. 32 Sakura Street, practically a mansion, ya can't miss it. Meet back here tomorrow if you succeed." 

With that, he slinks back into the shadows and makes his way back down the darkened street. 

Komura slowly stood, debating internally to decide if she should actually go or not. In her later years she would berate herself for such a risky decision, but young Komura had little experience in the way of traps, and so she herself slipped into the shadows, her recently washed yet threadbare clothes creating a stark contrast in the street lights.

Komura slowly crept through the night, always keeping a watchful eye everywhere she looked. Shadows occasionally moved, and more than one sultry sound could be heard in the back of alleyways, yet she continued, paying them no heed. 

Turning onto Sakura Street, she drew close to the only house that was lit up like a Christmas tree. Creme walls housed a thousand twinkling candles, all alight with orange flame. Faint music playing dancing tunes could be heard from the dirt lane, drawing the attention of any passerby like moths. 

She hummed to herself in thought, trying to figure exactly what to do. By the looks of it a gala was happening, so what exactly was the mission for? If you don't know who to attack then what do you do? Kill them all? No, there are too many, a steady stream entering and leaving constantly. 

There must be some way to determine the correct target, she thought, but how? Would she have to sneak into the party? Maybe attack the wealthiest looking person, or the master of the house. 

With those ideas in mind, she slowly closed the distance between herself and the mansion, fixing her clothes to look a bit less rumbled and more presentable. Deftly, she ran her fingers through her medium length red hair to straighten it and pulled that skirt up a little high to cover the bit of skin that her sweater, now too small for her, exposed. 

No one seemed to be guarding the door as everyone she had watched just passed on through, their fancy clothes enough to not raise suspicion from anyone. All in all, she hoped simply observing would work. 

Tentatively, she peered around the marble doors etched with floral and leaf designs. The inside was even more spectacular than the outside. Thousands more candles hung from every perch imaginable, and all of the richest people in this village seemed to be in attendance. 

Flashy skirts twirled as the males spun females in time with the exotic music. Some pairs were sitting upon lavish couches, eating finger food and drinking from crystal clear goblets. The sight seemed to be saturated in elegance. 

Komura instantly felt self-conscious. Her hair was certainly still a mess, her clothes were threadbare at best, and she didn't have any shoes. It could not be more obvious that she didn't belong in such a place. 

So she drew back from the light. She fled from the dancers, the dresses, the food. Except she couldn't. She wanted to, oh how she wanted to. Desire is a powerful thing, and in one so young who had never had enough money, seeing this wastefulness was ridiculous. Yet she craved it. 

The fame to be able to host a party and have everyone you know come and fill the house. The wealth to pay for all of the many aspects of hosting a party. The relaxation to know that something so costly as this wouldn't put a dent in your paycheck, would be but a small trifle among other, larger things. The joy that with enough money, she could find her brother. 

She wanted it, she needed it. So when she stepped back into the light, her eyes shining with a determination that had been lacking, the older woman who turned to give Komura a cocky smirk and a raise of her glass did not go unnoticed. 

Her eyes flickered around the brightly lit room, then back down at herself. Her clothes were better prepared for this than her brother's would have at least. Her skirt lent itself to an slightly older day of informal, and if she still had her sandals they would have helped. 

By now, the woman had disappeared with her drink among the throngs of dancing couples so Komura did the only thing she could. She entered the room. A few eyes turned in her direction as she paced slowly across the marble entrance and into the house, yet their curling of the lips failed to deter her. 

I'm going to need better clothes, she thought, feeling even more ridiculous now then before. While most people were on the main floor, a handful went up and down the 3 levels constantly. Believing that there must be someway to obtain clothing like the others, she ascended the wide staircase, reaching the apparent second floor. No police or ninja patrolled the party as it seemed to be meant for the wealthy who could take care of themselves so it was not difficult for her to walk around as if she belonged. 

Holding her head up high, she attempted to act like the rest of the party dwellers, without a care to the poor people who she belonged to. She peered down a long hallway where several rooms were stationed, all with closed, polished doors. 

Slipping unnoticed down the corridor, she reaches the third room on the left. Komura turns the knob painstakingly slowly with her small, six year old hands. Inside were mirrors that shined with a pure reflection, polished wood and stone furniture, and several articles of clothing hanging in the open closet. The girl closed the door softly behind her, plunging the room into darkness except for the window shedding light through the thin curtains. 

Komura drew the shades aside and stared up into the face of the full moon once more, it's beacon making her smile with hope and a peacefulness she wouldn't have expected in such a dangerous situation. 

Turning from the fickle light, whose complexion would hide itself in fear of the sizzling Sunagakure sun, she perused the clothing with what light she had. 

There was not much really, there meant to be just a hospitality and not for any particular use. A handful of tasteful dresses, each a different color and style and size, two pairs of ninja type clothing, and some of what might be called "casual" wear for these people, something akin to what Komura's clothes once resembled. 

Taking out a short, poofy dress, after grabbing a chair to be able to reach it, she measured it to herself and realized with her hope slowly vanishing, that it was far to big as it was. She could transform into someone of the size necessary to wear it, however chakra was hard to come by in such a situation, and she needed to save hers. 

"What to do, what to do..." she mumbled, receiving no answer but the rooms empty silence. 

It's almost as if luck knocked on my doorstep that day when we were attacked. I do feel sorry for losing my sister, but she likely didn't make it and I have to accept that like everything else that's happened in the last year and a couple months. 

I have found someone willing to teach me in this art that we so found, thank the gods. Without it we would have died, if we had only had it sooner, everyone could have been saved. Yet this doesn't matter, what-if's shouldn't be dwelled upon for they cannot be changed. 

Over time, my eyes have hardened so I can see the truth of people without having to focus too hard. Some might say it's a curse one day, but to me it is only a blessing, it's what has kept me alive. 

I won't say my year has been easy. I've trained and grown stronger in eyesight and energy, but there are infinite amounts of possibilities. Possibilities for good or ill, and all of them in between. Finally I'm getting a better schooling than what that small town could offer me, and while I have yet to meet him face to face, his envoy is quite the talker. 

But not really. He watches me train once a week, gives me pointers, a bit of money, and leaves. It might be a little creepy, but I honestly prefer it to having someone breathing down my neck all of the time. It feels so free to be on your own, nothing to do but bodily processes and get better. 

I'm not quite sure yet what I will do with this power, as I'm just training at the moment, but at least I'm not sitting still. I'm up and moving, doing things and making sure that I don't lose this gift I have been given. When someone walks down the street when I'm on the way to get supplies, it's easy to tell how they are feeling, and how alive they are. 

For a white aura surrounds every living thing, and then on the outside of that lie the intentions and ideals of the character. I know that if I'm grabbed by a stranger that they are a bad person, but if I can tell that they're wicked before the attack even has the possibility of surfacing, then the encounter is avoided. 

For most of the year I have been focusing the energy into my eyes so I can see all that is seen, the bugs moving between plants, the dust particles through the air, the condition of those around me. Recently however, we have moved to external energy, using it to change the world around me. 

We have started on plants, and while the envoy has no evident skill in the energy department at all, his words from the higher-ups tell of their knowledge freely if I am good enough to earn it. Over time, it is said, you can change the very direction a plant grows, you can change the natural order of nature. 

Isn't that exhilarating? The more you do it, the faster and more efficiently it can be done so eventually energy needs just be sent towards the plant and it will move as you direct it, like a living puppet on strings of life. 

If I move up as quick as expected, I might even be able to join the lines of shinobi fighting in the war using it. That's where you can test your skills, the only place really. Battle. The idea sends a shiver up my spine as I am only 13 years of age, yet at the same time it fills me with joy. It means I'm finally good enough. 

My friends wouldn't leave me in the dust ever again, Fuatsu and Tsuasu would no longer look at me with disdain for being a reject of the wealthy. Komura would never haunt my dreams begging for help only to be dragged away. 

I would never fail again.


	8. Gala

There really was no choice, Komura had to transform to fit the dress. Heaving a heavy sigh, she looked in the mirror, barely able to make out the distinctions of her face. 

"Here goes nothing," with a slight 'poof' an older version of Komura stood, this one with styled blue hair and obviously bigger breasts whom she had seen pacing the street a few days ago. She attempted to get every detail just right, however she hadn't planned to become the person so her jutsu created a...less appetizing version. 

The dress was a bit snug around the middle but it would do. A pair of black high heels matched the pale purple dress nicely as she slipped once more unnoticed back into the main second floor balcony. 

She stood for a moment peering over the railing, looking for the woman who had noticed her earlier. It wasn't particularly difficult from up here with her black hair which contrasted to the brightness of her long hot pink dress popping out from the crowd. Komura wobbled down the steps, unused to wearing heels and being in a different form, not even mentioning how she had to continually make sure that her disguise still held. 

While it would be most foreword to just go in straight for the kill, she was weaponless, and had no obvious way to get one. She told herself to breathe and calm down. Peace is the only way to find a good answer to a problem and if this was a bug one then she would just breathe deeper. 

Approaching directly was a no at the moment, so was fleeing the party altogether if she wanted the reward. Yes, she would need the money to get better, for Akino surely wasn't dead. If she was able to survive then he did without a doubt. So when she finally finds him she must be strong enough to be able to keep him happy, just as he has always done for her. 

Obtaining some sort of weapon is out of the question. She would have nowhere to hide anything upon her person, and what could she even grab, a knife? From where? And how would she get it past the cooks of the kitchen without some suspicious questions? Not to mention being able to bring it over and kill the woman without getting caught in the act. 

No, she would wait. Patience is a virtue, they say. You just have to wait for the right moment to pounce like a game of cat and mouse. When that time comes you must be ready however, until then...Komura stared at the food laden upon the table, the rumble of her stomach not going unnoticed. 

A friendly woman approached her, hiding a chuckle behind her hand. "If you're hungry, you can just go and get some, you know." 

Komura blinked, not believing that someone would have talked to her just like that. "Haha well you see..."

"Don't tell me that you're not going to eat! It's a party! You won't find as good food most other places except your own house!"

"True..."

"Speaking of which, I'm Sakura of the Guyama household. And you are...?"

Quickly, Komura thought of an answer, "My name is Hasuka of the Misako house."

"Oh? I don't recognize that name, are you not from around here?" Sakura asked with a puzzled look on her face.

"Yes actually, my family comes from the next village over but we have relatives in this town who I came to visit," she replied easily. It wasn't technically a lie because she had lived in the neighboring town for all of two weeks, and Garoma was practically family now anyway.

"Ah well that's good, it was nice to meet you Hasuka, I will see you around." Sakura replied, making a hasty exit to go speak with some gentleman with a blue tie. 

Komura just nodded even though he woman was halfway to her destination by this point. Dealing with the wealthy is difficult, you always have to be on your toes. 

"I suppose I'm my aunt now," she mutters finally arriving at the food table. It's all a variety of small pastries and finger food so she takes only one of each thing to try them out. With her acquired delicacies, she retreated to a corner to simply watch the others go about their partying. 

'Is this how the wealthy live?' She asks herself, taking in the scene in for the third time that night. 'What if I were to live like this?' Her daydreaming of a different life only strengthened her resolve. 

"I do love the forest, and Garoma is my best friend, but the life without people is the solitary one. Garoma can't provide the social interaction that I used to have, and it feels so good to be amongst people again." She mumbles, breathing a sigh of happiness. 

"Well you certainly don't look like you're having very much fun!"

Surprised, Komura jumps, dropping her small plate of treats. "Oh I'm sorry!" The feminine voice exclaims, calling a serving man over to clean up the mess.

"Oh no, I'm sorry!" Komura replied, horrified at the wastefulness of food she had just seen.

"Haha it's fine, you'd be surprised how often drinks are spilled at such things. I should know." Finally, Komura got a look at the person who had startled her, almost to the point of breaking her concentration at holding the jutsu.

"Are you the hostess then?" She bluntly asks, realizing that it was the woman who had noticed her at the beginning before her transformation.

"Well of course! This is my house, and I would like everyone to have a great time for their time here, is there anything we can do to be of assistance?" 

Komura thought for a moment, before shaking her head in response. The woman frowned for just a second before another jovial smiled returned to her face.

"Ah well whatever then. If you need anything, let me know!" She tells her before turning to waltz away. Quickly, Komura reaches out towards her, calling "Wait!"

The black-haired woman turns around, an expectant appearance greeting the young-yet-older-looking girl. "Could you, perhaps, just talk with me?" She pleads, an embarrassed red tinting her cheeks.

"Well of course dear! You should have asked sooner!" The woman turns fully and stands next to Komura by the pale creme wall. 

Before Komura gets a chance to fully introduce herself or know the name of her target, a whistling wind blows through the entirety of the house. The room is plunged swiftly into darkness as screams erupt from the populace. Blinking a handful of times, Komura gets her eyes used to the almost-dark to see the woman next to her not having moved an inch. 

Seizing what opportunity she had, she grabs at the woman, wrapping her hand around her mouth and he other trapping the movement of her upper arms as she drags her away. Shadows are the only distinction between distance and movement so a handful of times Komura bumps into who are likely party-goers, yet they brush past and out into the night without a second thought. 

In the dim light, she finds a ground-floor room, briefly letting one arm freed of the target so she could open it. Yet the woman made no attempt to escape. She barely struggled which gave Komura an uneasy feeling, but she would be damned if she let this stroke of luck pass her by. 

Closing the door behind her, the woman finally gasped at being released from her grip. Komura swung her fist at where she judged the woman to be, but was caught off guard by a block by she who had heard the movement of her dress. The black-haired female swings her legs, sweeping Komura's out from under her. 

She falls to the ground with a yelp, and just barely manages to avoid a kick aimed strategically at her ribs as she roles to her feet. Instead of a whipping punch, Komura strikes in a straight line, going back on what she had learned a year ago yet still has not perfected, an open palm attack. 

Instead of hitting her target however, the woman's hands ghost over her arm before using her foreword momentum to pull her off balance. She falls a second time, tripping over her own feet in the darkness. Komura's heavy breathing and the blood in her ears were the only sounds she could hear. 

The woman held off on another attack, seeming to retreat to the other side of the room. Komura stood on shaky legs, unused to the constraints of battle and already having her chakra significantly depleted. Breathing in through the nose and out through the mouth, she calmed herself, doing her best to analyze the situation. 

The ones who had blown out the candles could come at any moment, even quicker once they found out that she was still within the house or heard the noise. She would have to end it quickly, or as quickly as possible at least. Envisioning her eyes sharpening, he closed them for a moment before reopening them with a snap to have limited results. 

She would be lying if she said that she couldn't see better, but the sight of aura's had disappeared with the lack of human contact. Yet she used what she got and slowly advanced in for a final attack, this time feeling her energy collect in her right palm. 

Before she could even make a single threatening move though, the woman leapt from the wall, grabbing Komura's wrist and sliding her foot neatly into her instep. With another 'poof' she felt herself transform back into her own self, the dress feeling more like a heavy blanket than an article of clothing. Her only realization before going headfirst into the wall is how bad she messed up. 

Minato released a sigh, looking through the paperwork he would have to do. His team just came back from one of their first missions without him and it was incredibly stressful on the man. He had to be used in the war as one of Konoha's best assets, yet that didn't mean he liked it. 

War was one thing he disapproved of wholeheartedly, yet the Hokage told him he must go as it was his duty. Leaving his team in this time of war though, was his worst nightmare. He had barely thought about what he was doing out on the battlefield against Kumogakure at all. 

They had returned home safe though, that was the only thing that was important. This war had to stop. Kusagakure was infiltrated only a week ago which means the Land of Fire had lost a valuable barrier against the enemy. Unless something big happened soon he couldn't think of a way that they could possibly win.

If this war lasted as long as it seems that it will, his team would be sent on dozens more missions, each one more dangerous than the last. Minato wasn't sure if his team was ready for what the world had to throw at them, even watching them train against each other now made him uneasy. With one eye on his work and the other on his team, he observed their teamwork. 

That's what they really struggled with. Kakashi was too uptight and proud to let Obito win, Obito was resentful of Kakashi's skill, and Rin tried to keep the peace. It didn't help that obvious relationships were forming in his team. He heaved another sigh before brushing his hands through his spiky hair and flashing away, too distracted by his thoughts to work in peace.


	9. Fortune

Komura awoke upon a bed. The softness of the sheets was the first groggy sense she felt other than a blurred image of a blue room. Slowly, her eyes came into focus, revealing a light blue room with an ornate dresser, a closed door likely leading to a closet, a window, and the black bed which she had woken upon. 

 

Her eyes clenched together as a dull pain wracked through her head, initiating the girl to lie back down. A few deep breaths later, she pulled herself up, the nightgown revealed from under the blankets matching the blue of the walls. She stared at the bedroom around her, not quite comprehending what had happened the previous night. 

 

She remembered it all just fine, but why she wasn't dead or back out on the street or even hurt was what worried her. Slipping out of the warm embrace of the blankets, she padded over to the closet, deciding that if she was going to find out what was going on, she would need proper clothing.

 

The clothes room contained ones similar to what she had discovered last night, or at least last night from her point of view. How long had it actually been?! The realization that entire days could have gone by without her knowledge was deeply troubling to her. 

 

Sighing, Komura chose an outfit fit for a small Kunoichi. It wasn't anything special really, a simple pair of dark green leg coverings that were too long and wide for her frame, a loose, dark brown, short sleeved tunic that came down to her ankles. She debated wearing the Ninja sandals but with them being several sizes too large, she went barefoot instead. 

 

Inspecting the room, she looked for something to make the clothes look a little less ridiculous. By some stroke of luck, a small quilting set was found in the second drawer from the top, the highest one she could reach. It wasn't exactly meant for hemming clothing but she wasn't going to be picky. 

 

After some struggle with fitting the white thread through the eye, she sat on top of the bed and started hand sewing about 4 inches from the bottom, setting them to about where her ankle would be. She only got about halfway through the first leg before the door to the outside opened with a loud creak. 

 

Turning hastily, she dropped her project carelessly to hang, instead facing the newcomer, who was not really a newcomer at all. 

"Oh, you're awake!" The woman who had been her target exuberantly exclaimed. Komura only nodded in response, already beginning to slowly make her way off of the bed so she stood on the floor. "What-? Oh, I see. You must be curious as to why you're still here." 

 

Komura gave a slight nod once more, her eyes widening to look like a caged animal's when the door was closed behind the woman. "Well, my dear, first things first. My name is Sanchin, and I am the caretaker of this house, that is to say that I own it." 

 

Komura makes a noise sounding something like an "ah," although she was so tense Sanchin wasn't completely sure. Nevertheless, the woman relaxed and continued, "That was quite the party wasn't it? I gotta say, a party really isn't a party until there's the chance of possible death!" 

 

Despite Sanchin's words being not quite friendly, Komura felt herself relaxing slightly, getting used to the feel and ways of the woman, although still cautious. "Okay okay, if you want to know why you're still alive, it's because you're fighting style was more interesting than not." 

 

At the small girl's confused expression, Sanchin elaborates. "Most people, especially young girls know a little self-defense by nature. Many know a bit more than a little because of circumstance. The reason I've decided to keep you though is because most people prefer a fist over an open palm when attacking, and I'm curious as to why you don't." 

 

Sanchin stopped her explanation there, awaiting her tenant's answer. It took some time but she was a patient woman, a few minutes to get some information was nothing to her. Information was useful, and playing the part of a kind wife or mother could be even more so at times. 

 

Finally, Komura whispered some words that she was unable to make out. "What was that?" She asked, leaning over the bed some more to hear better. Backing away slightly, she spoke in a louder voice so Sanchin could hear, "Why should I tell you?" 

 

The grin that invaded Sanchin's expression matched her giddy internal feeling. She was right to choose someone off the streets, they weren't so gullible as say, a random villager. Now however, the problem lies on how to get the young girl on her side. She already had big plans for her, and the other young girl, but she needed to play her cards right. 

 

"You certainly don't have to tell me," Sanchin explained. "But it would help me learn more about you and your fighting style so that we can make you better." Now this set Komura off. Why was she wanting to make Komura better at anything? She had tried to practically kill her, had ruined a party, and managed to almost die herself. What reason was there to help her, much less keep her alive? 

 

Komura remained silent, debating on what to say. What she really needed was answers. "Better?" She asked, praying that the Sanchin would explain more details. 

 

"Well of course!" She exclaimed cheerily. "May you do me the honor of allowing me to aid you on your road to Ninja?" It wasn't exactly a complete answer, yet it was enough for Komura's interest to be piqued. "How?" She asked, coming out her shell a little more with each question. It could have been pride, it could have been ease, it could even have been some neurotoxin that the woman secreted to make her feel more alive. 

 

Here was someone practically offering help to make her strong. Who wouldn't pass that up? She had failed in her first mission, but apparently her playing was good enough to be recognized despite the shortcomings. It was not the monetary reward she was expecting, yet here was something that could be better. "Well, either I, or a personal tutor, would train you." 

 

She didn't mention how she would have to live in this house, and a host of other aspects. Rent was not free after all, but some experience would be good, and if she didn't return, oh well. This isn't the first time children have died in this war of escaped from possibly hostile situations. Of course she had planned for that though. 

 

Chakra sensing ninja can be quite useful when used correctly. The few currently in residence had been explicitly told not to give away any knowledge of their presence while keep a rotation going of using their abilities to make sure that the correct number of people remained within the house unless told otherwise. 

 

Komura's eyes widened at Sanchin's words. A personal tutor? She would skyrocket in skill above everyone else her age, probably even above Akino, wherever he is. That would be amazing! 

 

The glint in the girl's eyes did not go unnoticed by Sanchin. Hiding a smirk, she asked kindly, "If you're unsure, please join me for dinner tonight. It should be in a few hours and you wander around wherever you want, take on the sights of the house and such." 

 

Komura nodded after a moment, already knowing her answer but grateful to be able to look around before making any final decisions. It would only occur to her over dinner what the implications of that statement meant. 

 

"In that case, might I have your name? You know mine but have yet to reveal yours." She points out, needing to at least know something about her tenant. Knowledge has a way of becoming useful these days. 

 

Komura opens her mouth, about to say the standard answer, but remembers the party. She had told the party-goer a different name, and she had to remain consistent or look more suspicious. "Hasuka, Hasuka Misako." 

 

Just like that, she sealed her fate into the name of another. Komura was a name she would never hear about her again unless of another. Instead Hasuka, the name of her aunt and mother of two devils in disguise became her own. Ironic how a name of upper-class gets passed to one of so low. 

 

"Well it's nice to meet you Hasuka, I shall see you at dinner." Sanchin greets before making her departure, closing the door of the room in the way it had been before her entrance. Outside, she lets her smirk grow into a nasty smile. Big plans Hasuka, big plans indeed. 

 

Komura went back to sewing, needing some time to think. An hour passed and she was only halfway done with the other leg, so she threw it down in disgust. "I should just go and see if she has any clothing that would fit," she mutters angrily, giving up on her task. 

 

Slowly, she opened the door and crept out into the hallway, her too-large clothes dragging behind her. The house seemed much larger than it had earlier, perhaps the height change was really making a difference. It still looked as it had that night, perhaps a bit less decorated, but candles still covered every available surface and the faint scent of jasmine permeated the air. 

 

Komura looked around, trying to figure out where Sanchin could have gone off to. Wandering up and down gilded staircases and past never ending hallways, she couldn't seem to find her. It was only some time later that she saw her emerge from another hallway that she relaxed. 

 

"Do you have any clothes that fit me...?" She asked sheepishly. 

Sanchin laughs lightly and replies, "Yes I do, follow me. We keep them downstairs because most clients who come here aren't children." Komura is still wary of the change of events but she can't exactly do much, except maybe run away. But Sanchin's  offer had already been accepted, and she was so willing to help. 

 

As they walked silently through the house, Komura couldn't help but be lost in all of it's twists and turns. Then, without any indication other than an absence of windows, Sanchin stopped in her march. Bumping into her, Komura was startled before recovering herself and peering around the woman. 

 

The entrance to what she assumed to be the basement looked slightly different from the doors to bedrooms. Instead of a door that opened outward or inward, this one glided across the floor. Sanchin stood back as the blockade was drawn aside, letting Komura go first into the darkness. 

 

As she stepped up to the stairs leading downward however, Komura glanced back, wondering if the sense of panic she felt was justified by Sanchin's figure waiting behind her. Not able to go backward, she reluctantly crept downwards into the awaiting dark. 

 

At the bottom of the stairwell, Sanchin shuffled around for a moment, or at least that's what it sounded like to Komura, before a deep inhale surrounded the room and a flame puffed out of her now-visible cheeks and onto the wick of a candle inside a lantern. It didn't provide much light, but it was enough to make out their immediate surroundings. 

 

Even at such a simple action, Komura's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates, amazed by such an ability. Sanchin caught the young girl's look and smiled softly, "You can learn too you know, after another night's rest we'll find out your chakra signature so you can learn. It will be difficult though, training to be a ninja is not an easy path, whichever road you take." 

 

"There's more than one path?" Komura asks, only knowing of the training of an academy, or perhaps more uncommonly that of a personal tutor. 

 

"There's always more than one answer to everything dear, at least one high and low and many in the middle," she admonished, passing the light into Komura's shaking hands. "Now to get you some clothes..." She drew aside the grimy cloth, the only one that seems to be in this house, and as Komura peers around the new opening, a loud thump resounds through the open cellar door.


	10. Family

"Sanchin," a deep voice calls out, "are you down here?" At the sound, she lets go of the cloth, hiding once more what she was about to show Komura.

"Yes dear, I'm down here with Hasuka," she replies tiredly. Komura wonders for a moment if there might be a small bit of hesitation in her words, but quickly dismisses the thought as the source of the voice descends to their level. 

The owner is one who looks like quite the businessman with a commanding air that seems almost suffocating in the small space. "Ah, is this Hasuka then?" He questions, quickly crossing the floor and extending his back into a small bow in greeting. 

Unused to the newcomer and the situation, Komura does not bow in return and as the man straightens, his features are pulled into a frown. "Yes she is," Sanchin answers for the small girl. "Hasuka, meet my husband, Saifa." 

Komura looks between the two, unnerved by the apparent differences between the pair. "H-Hello," she mutters, looking towards the ground in embarrassment. 

"This is quiet a surprise," Saifa remarks, directing his attention towards Sanchin. She visibly cringes before rebutting him, "She can be quite useful, you should see her technique, it's quite unique!" A hum is the only response she receives before he once again turns towards Komura. 

"I see you need some proper clothes," he remarks, appraising the sight of the red-head. Komura nods, all of the information being too much in the stuffy atmosphere. Bending down to her level, he asks, "Do you have any formal training so far?" 

Komura shakes her head, being too young to enter into any academy, although she might have been forced to try if the war continued much longer. "How far would you be willing to go to get stronger?" She looks up at the time of his voice, hearing the seriousness of it. 

She paused a moment, thinking of a response. If she says something less than exemplary, he might refuse her training, and Sanchin's stance suggested that he was the true ruler of the household. Making her decision, she mutters, "I'd do anything." 

Saifa's poker face broke for all of a moment, although it was concealed by a too enthusiastic nod. "Then you will get stronger, but there's no backing out now. You've given your word and so I give mine, I will make you stronger if you will be accepting of the trials to get that strength." He paused as if contemplating something yet continued, "Do we have a deal?" 

Komura grinned, clasping her hand around his offered one. As Komura turned towards Sanchin however, the final remnants of her shaking head were noticeable, making the girl wonder if what she had just done was right. 

Akino however, felt no such qualms about his present status. It was just another day of training in the never-ending cycle of strength. Although this style of practice tired him out significantly more than the training from his village, he came out of a night's sleep feeling much better about himself and the power he had grown. 

Moving plants had taken a significantly longer time than his master had expected, so to combat that, they worked with chakra in the mornings, specifically increasing the storage within his body as well as the shadow clone technique. 

This jutsu was one he had not heard of before his training yet he was not complaining. Specifically it helped to practice a particular exercise. He would stand, feet parallel to each other, with a clone standing opposite him in a similar position, both of their hands held open in front of them, facing their other palm. Staring within the space between the palms, Akino would slowly build up energy into the shape of a ball. 

This wasn't something that could be seen yet, only sensed. Tenderly then, the clone would rotate his arms, all the while keeping the ball in the same shape and not losing any energy, to rest it between the palms of his own, adding to the power of the sphere. The energy would be drawn close as Akino would focus on making a new ball, and this would continue, the sphere being passed between the pair and collecting more energy and growing larger. 

For a time, he wondered what this exercise accomplished. It was simply envisioning a sphere and having the energy flow out through his palms and into the shape. However, when asked to envision and create the ball using only a single hand, this time palm up, he started to get the possible effects that this might hold. 

A weapon that couldn't be seen and only sensed, one that could be made in seconds over much practice, one that could disrupt the entire energy of a system to the point of it malfunctioning. The latter he found out when he got hasty in training and twisted the sphere of energy into the helpful shadow clone. 

It made no visible difference in appearance, and only later when he was taking a break from the energy work to eat did the clone begin to throw up. The clone had not eaten any food, as it was a only clone, so when blood poured out, paired with slimy stomach acid, did the messanger's eyebrows rise significantly, only added by the 'poof' of the clone disappearing. 

The messenger returned that night, knowing that his master would be satisfied with the still-new recruit. He possessed no optical or kekki genkai to be seen, yet his master over energy could be quite useful in the future. Not only that, but the boy had already discovered a practical use for a technique. Perhaps if he perfected it, the ability could certainly be used for battle. 

Orochumaru would certainly need it in the future. 

Komura sighed, rising from the pale green sheets that she had requested for her bedding. The beginning rays of the sun peaked through the undrawn shades, those being the source of her wakefulness. Now, she was accustomed to the richness of her present living and didn't even bat an eyelash at the furnishings of the room. She barely had time to examine them with such a compelling curiosity anyway. 

Hustling over to the closet, Komura chose out her outfit, no longer needing to transform to be able to wear any of the articles which had been replaced with ones that fit her perfectly. For today, she chose her favorite outfit, a pair of skin-tight navy bottoms with a high-waisted brown skirt that was divided into thirds, encircling her legs, and a loose creme colored tank-top over a nude sports bra. 

Smoothing out the wrinkles of her clothes, she slipped through the door and down the staircase, into the kitchen. It took some time, but she got out some rice and an egg for breakfast. A yawn escaped her lips as she seated herself down to eat. Komura enjoyed waking up early, but sometimes their training got brutal, or at least brutal on her body. 

Waking up feeling sore was not the most desirable situation, especially when the bruises covering her body were not unnoticeable. She refused to complain however, she had chosen this path and if she wanted to get stronger then she would do anything. It had occurred to her a handful of times to ask about Akino, but every time she stopped herself, remembering that she wasn't herself anymore, her name was Hasuka. 

Most of her training revolved around bodily strength. After the first three days, her chakra abilities had practically been neglected and all attention was focused towards dexterity and accuracy. From what Sanchin had described, Saifa had determined that a taijutsu trainer who specialized in pressure points would be best. 

The first half of the day was conceptual ideology, learning about the pressure points all over the body and how to maneuver into a position to hit them. The second half was putting the concepts into practice.They would leave a study room to head out to a clearing in the backyard of the mansion where her teacher would transform to be different height levels so that whatever technique(s) he taught that day would be effective against any opponent. 

Then came sparring. This was the part that really kicked Komura's ass. Her tutor was understanding that she had practically no prior training, but he was very firm in the idea that the best way to learn was to battle. Her major problem though, is that she rarely attacked. It could have been that the teacher was intimidating to the young girl, maybe it was her youth. What is most likely however, is her lack of confidence. 

Komura was unskilled at a time when strength could have saved her village, she was unprepared to fight at a time when she had tried a technique that probably saved her life, yet at a great cost. Most recently, the one time she tried to prove herself, despite how rash of a decision it was, she was saved by pity. That's what she called it, no belief at all in what Sanchin had said about her technique. 

So these 'battles' mostly became a one-sided match of Komura trying to block attacks from the tutor. Despite his protests, she refused to attack so adamantly that he attempted a different tactic, with much better results. If she wouldn't attack, then the least she could do was learn to defend. His teaching of the techniques transferred slowly from ones of maneuvering and striking to maneuvering and resilience. 

In their training from now on, the focus was giving her a practical situation to imagine herself in, and what to do about it. For example, she was given a mission to kill someone, and despite her slightly taken aback expression, he continued describing. The person to kill was aware of her presence and left no openings to attack from a distance. What do you do? 

For Komura, the most often response was to reveal herself and fight. This wasn't exactly the best answer, but for their purposes it sufficed. Her tutor would then attack and she would have a choice, take the hit, or use their momentum to throw them off-balance. In this choice, it became a mixture of successes and failures, but over time she grew stronger. 

After training, her bone-tired body crawled it's way up the stairs and into her room, where she collapsed onto the bed. A couple hours later she would be awoken by either Sanchin or Saifa who came to gather her for dinner. Komura had quickly adopted the dining etiquette of her caretakers, who drilled the smallest details into her head and always tested her on the correct way to do, say, or the placement of something. 

After dinner one night, about two months since her first conscious night there, Saifa asked Sanchin to do something a little strange. Komura was about to return upstairs to her room for the night when he commanded her to remain at the table for they had something for her to do. Wearily, Sanchin did as he told her, rising and making her way to Komura. 

Saifa watched as Sanchin slithered her arms around Komura's shoulders, forcing the girl to rise with her. "Please," he kindly told, "show Hasuka the back of the basement. We have to see how her training is coming along." Confused, Komura let herself be dragged away, glancing back at Saifa without trying to conceal her nervousness. 

Once he was out of sight, Komura faced forward, her legs moving of their own accord to keep up with Sanchin's longer strides. Without a word, the pair descended the stairs as they had not too long ago, the light being lit in the same manner as it had previously. Now, Komura knew that she would never be able to produce the flame like Sanchin, for her affinity was with water solely. 

Guided by the arm still clutching her shoulders, she finally got a glimpse of what lied behind the curtain. A much larger chamber was hidden from view, this one big enough so the candle couldn't reach the far wall. The pair paced through the room, pausing a moment when Komura noticed the chains bound to the wall.


	11. Sleep

Adrenaline began to shoot through Komura, her mind predicting what was about to happen. Now she began to struggle against Sanchin's hold and in her haste, dropped the flame, plunging the cellar into darkness. 

Komura tried to scream out but with both hands now free, Sanchin clasped one around her throat, effectively ceasing any violent actions other than a panicked clawing at her hand. Carefully, she dragged her in this way to the wall where she knelt to get the first chain, her hand only leaving Komura's neck for a second to quickly seal the chain closed. 

Komura leapt forward, trying to escape once her neck was freed, but the chain held well. Only when the second chain sealed over her other wrist did she slow and finally cease her escape attempts. Sanchin moved back to appraise her work, nodding at the confused state of the girl. 

"Don't worry dear," she consoled as she relit the snuffed out candle, "if you are up to par then this will be over quickly and you can be on you merry way to sleep. If not then you know what you need to work on." Komura shook her head, unbelieving of her words that promised freedom. But then she thought, if she was up to par. She would have to be strong enough to take whatever would come, only then would her caretakers be satisfied. 

If she wasn't powerful enough to do that though, she wouldn't be good enough. It's just a matter of training, the more you work, the more you get out of it. If she failed here then she would have to work harder, that's all. She wouldn't fail though, she couldn't. She refused to fail again, not after the last time, and the times before. If she couldn't have enough strength to do this, then she might as well give up on Akino. 

She wouldn't be able to face him if she failed. It wasn't even designated that she would be able to find him in the first place. If nothing else, she would proceed, for Akino, for strength. With that last thought, the first kick came.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------

Sanchin arose from the depths of the house with a long-suffering sigh. She was honestly out of practice, especially in the stamina department. "How did it go?" Saifa questions as she renters the dining room. 

"Better than I expected for her first trial, but she still could be better. I left her downstairs to rest for a little while. She'll definitely have bruises but will no doubt be stronger for them." 

"I hope you didn't go too hard, we don't need her running off on us now." Saifa scolds, slightly worried for the child downstairs.

"Worry not, if she does, we'll just bring her back or kill her like the other one." Sanchin replies, brushing the topic away with a wave of her hand. "I'm just interested in what she does before bedtime personally. Occasionally there is the sound of movement, but otherwise the only indication of any restlessness is how she is still all sorts of awake when I go to tell her to sleep." 

"It is quite intriguing, but I'm sure it's a trifling matter, probably just more training. What really bothers me is the demands from the market." Saifa mutters with a sigh.

"Are they being demanding again?" Sanchin questions. "Just because we turn out approximately one good Ninja a year doesn't mean that we need their petty money."

"But we do," Saifa denies, "In order to keep going we need it, and the portion of the bounty money from those ninja."

"How long do you think before she'll be called for her first mission?"

"As soon as we can get her out there and know that she'll come back. Start with simple chores for now to make sure that she is obedient and listens to commands, but start off slow like tonight. We don't want her scared off."

"Okay, I shall begin in two days to allow Hasuka to rest."

"Good, and goodnight Sanchin."

"Goodnight Saifa." 

Groggily, Komura awoke from her dreamscape and into the world of the living. Trying to move proved painful however as the arm that was supposed to support her only fell limply at her side. Wiggling into a sitting position was even more painful, several audible gasps of pain filling the midnight scene. 

She wasn't able to see very well in the dim light of the moon, so she traced her hands around, poking and prodding at areas to see which had been most attacked. Several winces later, she slowly made her way to stand up, pondering on what to do now. Mentally she felt sound, physically she was quite burned out. 

Even still, she knew she couldn't fall back into sleep, so she was at a dilemma. It would be rude to awaken anyone in the house now, so leaving her room was out. Staring at the sky-orb, Komura made her decision. She hasn't been practicing it consistently, but she still forced herself to do a little of self-training after dinner on some nights. 

Up in her room, she sat and breathed. In through the nose and out through the mouth until she felt at peace. If something was bothering her, she knew that any problem could be sorted out here. It was a logical place of deep thought and connection with the energy of the universe. 

Greater lengths of time spent doing this yielded better results when she finally stood up to practice. A mirror stood proudly in the corner of the room, this one much too tall for Komura's present height but still suffice enough for her purposes. Looking at her reflection, she would pick a point of attack and mime hitting it. 

The occasional slap of her palm again the mirror was the only indication of anything amiss to the outside world of her room. Then came the harder part though, because no that she knew where the point lay on an opponent about her size, she retreated from the vision of the mirror and onto the open space of her floor. 

Still standing, she would attempt to hit the imaginary spot without the sight of the mirror. Tonight the very idea sent a shiver through Komura's body who resisted even the smallest movement. Instead, tonight she would experiment. 

Most nights her energy-usage was spent moving it throughout her body, specifically focusing on her hand for the purpose of attack. Perhaps instead, her course of action could be using the energy in a way to help herself. Her chakra went into the dexterity of her body against opposition, but what if she could do other things with it.

It wasn't necessarily a new idea for Komura. A handful of other times she had entertained the thought, but they were always shot down by her need to be stronger in the eyes of her tutor and caretakers. There was a sneaking suspicion in her head that said that they would not be quite as enthusiastic with this skill as with others, so she saved the idea for when time was not of the essence. 

Those criteria seemed to fit this situation pretty well. Her body protested any movement that wasn't doing nothing, so perhaps something could be done about that. The bed seemed too far away so Komura settled for slipping down onto the ground in measurable silence. 

Using the same idea for other training, Komura focused her attention on her hand and leg. This particular bruise was located on the side of her small kneecap, so Komura put her hand there. For a time, she sat in silence just focusing on trying to put energy into the location slowly. 

She stopped this endeavor when the hand was drawn aside to only reveal the bruise unchanged. "Hmph," she muttered, trying to think of a different solution. Wasn't it Sanchin who had told her that there was always more than one road to take? Yes, she thought that she remembered that. 

The obvious answer would be to see if drawing out the energy would work better, but she had no idea on how to do that. Conceptually, she would have to have a deeper connection with the energy to draw it out of an area, but then she thought. The body has a way of dealing with disruptions to chakra when being hit on pressure points, if given enough time. 

What if bruises are a similar ordeal? The energy is all concentrated into a singular area that takes time to disperse and realign itself throughout the body. Perhaps she could speed up the process of dispersion then. But how? Adding more would be a futile effort that only defeats the purpose, subtracting the energy would be ideal but theoretically could go very wrong in many ways. 

Komura breathed, in through the nose, out through the mouth, with eyes closed. Her problem slowly faded away and without warning, she was once again asleep. 

Much of the second half of her sleep that night was dreamless, however there was one part that she would remember for weeks afterwards. She knew not what she wore, what she looked like, even if she was herself, but there was one aspect that made her think that she was. Sitting in a lush, green, forest, she wandered. 

Komura had no power over where she walked, which route she took, or any other aspect of the dream. At her resting place though, was a small, fluffy, raccoon. He seemed almost to be waiting for her in that clearing, and dream-Komura's face lit up in joy. In all of the events having transpired barely a thought had been spared for her friend, not she could have visited him anyway. 

Dream-Komura sat next to him as he leapt into her lap, quite happy to see her after all this time. Rubbing his soft hair, she laughed with all of the licks peppering her face. When he went to speak, unlike in the real world, she could understand him. 

"Where have you been?" Garoma questions, "You led time all alone." Komura releases a sigh, preparing to explain herself but Garoma interrupts. "Nevermind, I don't care. How has your training been going?" 

A smile comes to her face as she explains how she's being trained, by a tutor and his style of passing on his knowledge. If she had the ability to read faces, she would almost say that Garoma's face looked sad, disappointed even. 

"Komura," he interjects, "let me teach you. All animals know their own form of the life source you call energy. Humans, it seems, do not know enough to give you a proper insight." 

She blinks for a moment, not quite believing what she had heard. "So getting stronger in this way is a waste of time?" 

"I did not say that. It's true that they can teach you much about their style of fighting; you are all animals too. However, I can teach you about the energy side, they can teach you the uh, chakra, side I suppose. 

Komura tilts her head, not understanding. "There is a difference?"

"Sort of, how can I explain this, um...It's kind of like one is created from the other, if that makes sense. Energy is the life force of all living things, it's what makes them living, chakra takes a small bit of that energy and combines it with the force of will and a kind of spiritual energy I suppose, to do the amazing acts that you see." 

"Ohhh okay," Komura nods, finally understanding the difference. 

"One more thing, all of the ninjutsu that you've seen are possible with just the use of energy, it simply requires a greater amount of energy to get it done than this chakra would absorb." 

"Okay," Komura nods, showing her understanding. "How will you teach me though? I cannot leave my location." 

"Don't worry Komura, learning mistakes in a dream is far better than learning them in the real world."


	12. Train

Sunlight streamed delicately through the opening in the curtains. Daybreak greeted Komura as it had for the last year in this house, quite cheerily. Leaping from the plush mattress, she swiftly donned her crisp new ninja clothing. The style was similar to her favorite choice of the year previous, however now that she was seven, her clothing was tailored to fit that. Her growth required a new skirt, chosen in the divided into three sections style and a color only a a shade or two darker in the scheme of possible brown colors. 

Instead of leggings, her appendages were covered by a pair of loose navy pants that were sealed from just above the ankle to the mid-calf by hand-wrapped creme colored bandages. The pants could stay up on their own if so desired, but where she was about to go in a week might constitute a bandage or two. 

On the top half was a similar idea of loose clothing, this time a pine-needle green, long-sleeved shirt that was capped with even more bandages on the sleeves, these ones reaching from her elbow to the worst and wrapping across the palm and between the pointer finger and thumb. The extra force applied there made her hand have to work harder to stay in a position of attacking with an open palm so it was primarily used for training purposes. To top it all off, her red hair was wrapped up into two hair sticks, each with a small raccoon charm hanging off of the end. 

The reason for her excitement today was that very soon, in a week to be exact, she would be attempting to take the Chunin exams in Sunagakure itself. Komura had yet to even become an official genin with a team, but for the Chunin Exams one was necessary, so she would be meeting them today. 

It seems money really can buy everything these days. Governments are so corrupt with power that anyone will do just about anything for it. Not that she was complaining of course. Komura's lips were sealed if questioned about the validity of her Ninja documents. The one downside was that whenever dealing with anyone from then onward, if they were ninja, then her face would have to match the picture. 

They hadn't gone over the bend with the transformation-jutsu modifications, in fact it was exactly the same that Komura had used out on the street for cold nights in the winter. Brown hair and green eyes could go a long way in changing one's appearance. 

Once told about the possibility of hiding her true features, her training had worked for several days on specifically working to lengthen the amount of time that the jutsu could be held. All in all, she could only hold it for about 5 hours with fighting involved, and seven without. Even then though, the façade slipped occasionally. 

As Komura finished the last of the wrappings, she arose and stealthily slipped from her bedroom. Having to have some fun, it became a game in the household to see how long, and how many morning tasks, could be completed without being seen. Her record so far was 4, making and eating breakfast, washing the dishes from her breakfast, making her way back upstairs to grab her tools, and heading outside to begin the self-training. 

They always caught her doing the actual training so the fifth one has yet to be achieved. Theology had given way to practice with kunai and other possible tools. Shuriken were immediately discarded because which they could be effective sometimes, kunai and her hair sticks were much more reliable. The sticks were favored above any other itemized weapon in her arsenal because they were the most versatile. 

They could be used for keeping hair out of the way, quickly drawn in an emergency, lightweight, common enough that they wouldn't arouse suspicion, and used as a weapon. Of course there's the use of a pointy object at close range which is all well and good, but most of the time her limbs would be free enough to deal with any attack. A neat trick that a puppet-master had taught her was chakra strings. 

Immediately connecting her chakra to the ends of the sticks, they could be sent into long range and used as if she was holding them. After learning this skill, the sensei was dismissed like all the others, and so she quietly adapted the idea to work with energy. It's the same general principle as chakra, it just took a bit longer because Garoma could only teach in dreams. 

Today she only made it to 3 tasks, her jubilant bouncing around practically asking for Sanchin and Saifa to find her. "Well you certainly look happy this morning," Sanchin comments with a smile and a pat on the head. 

"Well of course!" Komura replies, getting out plates for the three of them. "I get to meet my team today!" 

"Is that really today?!" Saifa asks with mock surprise. "It looks like you've all grown up on us now!" Komura giggles, about to get open the pantry when Sanchin stops her. 

"Of come now, you can't expect to make yourself breakfast on this special day! Run upstairs and grab your things. I bet you that I'll be done by the time you get back down~" 

Komura grins before dashing off at a breakneck speed, only slowing when, "And no running in the house!" follows her up the stairs.

"This is what you chose huh? Instead of giving into the market you're giving into the school?" 

"What else can I do Sanchin? She's not ready to kill for sport yet, so she needs a push to attack. This is what can give her that push." 

"She might die you know, not everyone makes it out alive."

"They'll go easy this year because they need as many to pass as they can. More troops means more power." 

"So then where's that push you were so confident in talking about?" 

"Her teammates of course. Most people will not be satisfied if they have to drag around a team member who won't fight, much less someone they will barely know. Hopefully, they'll find a way to make her attack." 

"What if this year is different from all the others? What if there won't be any fighting at all?" 

"Sanchin, every year is different, but they're not that different. The third portion is always rounds of battles to see who wins, this year won't be any different." 

"And if it is?" 

"Then Hasuka will become a Chunin and everything will be great. I don't see the problem here."

"Nevermind. I just want one thing to be done before she heads out today. The symbol of our lineage should be put upon her. It won't fit with the life she's going to live, but it would make me feel better. She would always have a little part of us wherever she goes." 

"The symbol that means a healer?" Saifa scoffs. "Sure, that tattoo is going to be the death of her you know. If anyone sees that it'll either be traced back to us or she'll get laughed at for it. Imagine, the victim of an assassination attempt mocking the assassin for a symbol seen through a ripped sleeve. Ridiculous!" 

"What assassin?" Komura quietly asks from her position in the doorway. Both heads snap towards the sound, mild shock revealed on their features. 

"No assassin dear, we were just speaking of the time we first met you after all. Didn't you know that what you were doing is called assassination?" Sanchin lies quickly. 

"I suppose that I didn't know that..." Komura mutters. "Will I ever have to do it again?" 

Saifa sends a quick glance at Sanchin before responding, "We hope so, there are many jobs open for young people as they are easier to hide. Would you like to do that?" 

"I mean I guess," Komura replies. "Would I actually kill people this time?" 

"That's what we've been training you for dear," Sanchin explains. "If you get an official document saying that you're a Chunin, many more opportunities become available to you in the field." 

"What would I get out of it?" She asks, a slight hesitation in her voice. It was not that she had any qualms about killing someone, she did not even know the full scope of what that really meant yet. The problem in her mind was if she would even have enough skill to best someone who was likely older than her. 

"Well you would be repaying us for all of this past year and the work we put in. Simultaneously, you would receive a portion of the funds for your own use. You could buy new clothes, new tools, a new house, food, whatever you want." What she didn't mention was that even if she bought new living quarters, there was one particular aspect of chakra control, something that she excelled at, that was not taught. 

It would be a tragedy after all if Hisako somehow was able to figure out that she had a follower all this time. It's not like she ever really left the property, but no chances could be taken in insuring that Hisako would remain here. The sensor wouldn't follow her on any jobs or anything of that sort, but they hoped that she would return anyway. 

"Then I'll do it," Komura nods, determination filling her voice. 

The adult pair share a smile before Sanchin sends Komura outside to practice a little before meeting her teammates. "If you're so opposed to a tattoo, what if she just has a forehead protector with the symbol on it?" She asks, returning to the previous conversation as if nothing had happened. 

"Hmm..." Saifa mutters, contemplating the idea. "It could get risky and raise an eyebrow or two...however if you're so determined than I suppose that she can do that. I'll put in the order for it right away." 

"Thank you Saifa," Sanchin says. "I know this is a special case but it still means a lot." 

"Hmph, I just hope that she won't be opposed to the idea. We got lucky that she's okay with death, in times like these she could be valuable if skilled enough." 

Silence falls between them as Sanchin finishes making breakfast. Before she heads out to bring the food to Komura though, she asks one final question. "Do you think they'll work well together? As a team?" 

"Not in the least," Saifa replied with certainty. "Twins will always have a stronger bond than someone who just arrives and only must be with them because has to. If anything I'd be more worried about them turning on her in the middle of battle. Don't forget that she's significantly younger than them." 

Sanchin says nothing but a deep frown graced her features as she heads out. 

Komura leapt into the air, swinging from tree-branch to tree-branch by the hold of the wrapped hairsticks alone. It was a dangerous game, if her concentration broke the chakra string would snap, hurling her to the ground. It was during this concentration exercise that Sanchin found her. 

"Hasuka! Your breakfast is ready!" She called, the girl's form being obvious in the small forest simulation. They had several trees, but not enough to hide much of anything other than perhaps at the trunk. "I even have some tea! Your favorite of course." 

A few seconds of no response passed before Komura swung around a tree at the edge and came to a stop after a relatively decent roll to stand. Sanchin lets out a small chuckle before motioning Hisoka closer. "Come on you can eat it on the way, we have to be sure that we are early if nothing else. 

"Okay!" Komura replies, running up to her guardian. "I'm so excited, I can't wait!"   
"I hope that they like you dear, that's all that I ask for."  
"Why wouldn't they like me?" She asks, confused. "They're my age right?" 

Sanchin sighs before stopping to sit down, setting the tray to the side of her. "I won't be there with you to make sure that everything goes alright, neither will Saifa. I just want you to know a few things." 

"Firstly, I apologize if you felt that we ever mistreated you in any way." 

Komura interrupts with, "I never thought that...at first my training was difficult, sometimes it still is, but I know everything is to make me stronger. Even the biweekly tests." 

"Exactly my dear, you're becoming a full fledged ninja now, so we didn't want anything that you might face out there to break you. That leads me to my second point in fact." 

"Don't let the world break you. We've pushed you on a physical level to the point of extreme blood loss, however there are those who specialize in a mental form of torture. This is the folly of many in the past and surely the future. Whatever happens, don't lose sight of yourself and your aspirations." 

Komura remains silent, only giving a nervous nod in affirmation. "Lastly, even if your name is not really Hasuka, you can't let anyone know your real name." 

The look of shock upon Hasuka's face makes Sanchin chuckle, "You've grown used to the name by now, but in the beginning you didn't always respond to it." 

Continuing on, she deepens the subject a little by saying that, "For all intents and purposes, you are Hasuka now, Komura doesn't exist. Hasuka Iryou, the last name of my family. Remember it well for you will hide many more secrets in your life Hasuka, hide them well and keep your lies straight." 

Komura, nods tentatively, giving a moment to let go of herself. Whatever her past was, doesn't matter anymore. The face of her mother had faded to the background of her memories, lost to the wheel of time. Even Akino, her brother, was slowly losing the devotion that had brought her thus far. 

Only Hasuka now, Hasuka Iryou.


End file.
